High School Years
by Icy Knuckles
Summary: It's high school! That means parties, cliques, sports, gossip, relationships, and drama are all in store. SonAmySal ShadMina KnuxRougeJulieSu, Taiream, and SilverTikal. Best of all, no master emerald, no chaos emeralds, and best of all, no Dr. Eggman.
1. First Day

_It's that time again. It's time for Icy Knuckles to do it big. See, what inspired me to do this is this: I've read a few high school fanfics, and so far, I'm not impressed. I've decided to do my own to show fanfiction how it's done. Granted, there are some very good fics out there, but the overall majority doesn't capture the essence of high school. Take it from a senior who knows. See if you like this one. And yes, romance will be included. High school just isn't high school without it._

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It's 7:00 in the morning. The rays from the sun are shining through the window. The sun has risen after its long slumber last night and feels fully refreshed and reborn. This morning was a peaceful morning, or it would be if a certain echidna would stop snoring so loud. This year was his last year of high school. He was eager to get it over with, but as you already know, everyone is a little run-down on the first day.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Knuckles' alarm clock had sounded. It was time for him to get up and finish off this last year. Knuckles was not having it, though. He hit the snooze button and turned over and went back to sleep.

Elsewhere, two blocks away, two of Knuckles' friends were up and ecstatic about school. One was a blue hedgehog and the other was an orange fox. Sonic had just finished cleaning up his room. As soon as his room was clean, well clean enough to walk through, Sonic went down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower. He turned on the water, made sure it wasn't too hot, and got in. The water rushed through his quills and rushed down his neck to his shoulders and back. It felt as though his troubles were being washed away. Sonic closed his eyes and thought about what surprises were in store for him this year. Maybe he would ask out that cute cheerleader. That prissy chipmunk didn't look too bad either to him. He continued to daydream as he continued to shower. After about thirty minutes, he turned the showerhead off. Then, he exited the shower and got a towel out of the drawer and wrapped it around his waist after drying himself. His quills were dripping wet and hanging down lower than usual because of the water within them. Sonic shook his head to get all the water out of his quills. Afterwards, Sonic walked back to his room. He noticed that the door to his brother's room was slightly ajar. Sonic looked inside to see that Tails had left his room. Sonic went back to his room and got dressed. For his first day of school, he wore a regular white tee and denim jeans. After he was dressed, he took out some gel and a comb and fixed his hair from its current frizzy state. After that was done, he exited his room and went downstairs. Sitting in the kitchen with a glass of orange juice and a piece of toast was Sonic's brother, Miles Tails Prower. This was Tails' first year of high school. He had finally reached ninth grade, and was anxious about joining his older brother in the high school world.

"Good morning, bro," said Tails with a smile on his face. He looked like a little nerd with those bifocals, and it didn't make it any better that he wore his clothes like a gentleman. Tails' attire consisted of those bifocals, a white and blue polo shirt, and khaki pants. His khakis were held in place by a belt. His pants were up on his waist, and his shirt was tucked in.

"What's up, Tails?" said Sonic as he went and got some orange juice from the refrigerator.

"I'm fine. I can't wait for today to begin. New people, new things to learn, and the best thing is that I'm with my big brother."

Sonic finished off all his orange juice before he spoke. "Sounds great."

Sonic was a little ticked off at the fact that his brother and sister, Manic and Sonia, were going to college in Westopolis. He really hated that. School really hadn't been the same without them, but he was managing. They called each other all the time, but it wasn't the same without them actually being here.

Sonic checked his cell phone. It read 7:42.

"We'd better get going, Tails, or else we'll be late for our first day," said Sonic.

He could hear Tails hurrying up in the kitchen. Within seconds, Tails was standing in front of Sonic with his backpack on.

"I'm ready to go!" said Tails happily.

Sonic couldn't help smiling at Tails' sunny disposition. It reminded him of when he was that age. Sonic and Tails exited their house. Tails followed Sonic to the garage, where Sonic's blue Chevy Camaro was parked. Sonic got into the driver's seat with Tails riding shotgun. They threw their backpacks in the back. Sonic had failed his driving test twice, once for thinking that the R meant really fast, and the other time for parking the car up a tree. He finally got his license after some training with Manic. Now, he had his own set of wheels. He knew that one day he would have to teach Tails what Manic taught him.

Sonic pulled out of the driveway with ease, put the car in gear, and gave it some gas. Now, they were finally on their way to school. Sonic turned on the radio. He kept turning until he came to a rock station. He and Tails jammed all the way to school (Sorry, I'm not a huge rock fan.). Going down the streets, Sonic past Knuckles' house and saw that his red Ford Mustang was still in the driveway. Sonic chuckled to himself.

"That Knucklehead's going to be late on his first day," he said.

They continued to drive until finally they reached Station Square High. It was a fairly large school. The entire school plot took about 50 acres of land. Those 50 acres include the football field, soccer field, baseball field, parking lots, field house, band hall, etc. Sonic checked his cell phone. It read 8:13. He sighed. Thankfully, traffic had been slow today. Since school didn't start until 8:20, he was on time. Sonic found a park on the second row of the parking lot. He parked next to a black motorcycle with flames on it. He knew all too well who that motorcycle belonged to. Sonic and Tails exited the car. Normally, before school, kids would hang out in the parking lot, but today, it wasn't that crowded. He saw some familiar faces like Sally Acorn and Mina Mongoose. They both were sitting on the hood of Mina's corvette. Mina was wearing a tank top and Capri's, but Sally dressed a little more stylish. She wore clothes you'd expect models to wear. Today, she had on her Armani suede boots and a tight, collared shirt with a little cleavage showing. She was the popular one.

Sonic saw Shadow talking to a couple of hedgehogs and went over to where they were hanging. Tails followed.

"Hey, Shadow. How's it going?" asked Sonic.

"It's going okay, I guess," replied Shadow.

They talked for a few more minutes about general things just to catch up. Tails just stood there, not really knowing what to say. After a few minutes, the bell rung, signaling that it was time for first period.

"Let me see your schedule," said Sonic to Tails.

Tails reached in his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. He handed it to Sonic.

"Okay, your first class is Mr. Wilson for English I. Go upstairs and he's the second door on the left," said Sonic.

"Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic, Shadow, and Tails, with the other two hedgehogs, headed for the building. As Sonic was about to go in, he heard a sound system bumping. He already knew who it was. You could always hear Knuckles from a mile away with that new system he got for his Mustang. Knuckles was just now making it to the school. He sped around the parking lot and found himself a park place. Afterwards, he dashed up the steps and into the building. Knuckles ran around until he found his Biology III class. As soon as Knuckles entered the class, the bell rung. Knuckles was out of breath from all the running. He took an open seat in the back of the room next to Shadow.

"Overslept again, huh? You pulled that shit last year," said Shadow to Knuckles in the back of the class. Luckily, other kids were talking, so the teacher didn't hear Shadow curse.

"I made it, didn't I?"

Suddenly, a brunette hedgehog turned around. She waved and winked at Shadow. Shadow returned the wink and gave her a flirty look. She lightly giggled before turning around in her desk. Knuckles looked over at Shadow.

"How do you do it?" he asked.

"I'm just naturally talented," said Shadow smugly.

Knuckles shook his head and faced forward as the teacher closed the door and began lecturing.

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In Tails' class, everyone had to get up and say a few words about themselves. When it came Tails' turn, there was some laughter. He stood up.

"Nerd!" yelled some guy under his breath. The class burst into laughter. Tails felt nervous.

"Hi! My name is Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails."

"Geek!" yelled another guy on the other side of the room under his breath.

Tails felt shame. He managed to conjure up a few more words, and then he sat down. As he sat, more laughter continued. Tails did not say anything else the whole period.

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Elsewhere in another classroom, Amy sat in front of Mina and Julie-Su. She had her back turned to them, but he was all ears to what they were saying.

"Oh my god, Shadow is so fine. If only he would give me the time of day," said Mina.

"Girl, why are you even interested in that ebony hedgehog? He's with a different girl every day. Face it, the guy's a whore," said Julie-Su.

"I know that, but he doesn't love them. I'm sure that I can make him love me if only he would give me a chance."

"Take my advice: you'll only end up heartbroken in the end."

Julie-Su turned her head towards the front to notice that Amy's head was slightly askew.

"Are you listening in on our conversation?" asked Julie-Su.

Amy turned all the way around.

"Why would I be interested in what you two are doing?" asked Amy.

"It's pretty obvious that you're jealous of us. We're better than you at everything. The only reason you even made the cheer squad is because the cheerleading coach had pity on you," said Julie-Su.

"I'm jealous? Sounds to me like you're jealous that I made the cheer squad instead of you."

Julie-Su scoffed.

"Turn around and stop listening in on us or you'll be sorry."

Amy turned around with a slight grin on her face. This victory was hers.

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At lunch, Amy found Cream. They both sat and ate lunch together. Amy and Cream both had brought their own lunches. They could not stand government food. They both agreed that anything that the government pays for isn't worth a dime. Amy had a tuna fish sandwich, a celery stick, and a diet coke. Cream had herself a pimento cheese sandwich, some carrots, and yogurt.

"So, how do you like it here so far?" asked Amy. Cream was also a ninth grader like Tails.

"It's going just fine. It's just so many people here and it's so noisy."

"That's high school for ya." Amy smiled. "Met any cute boys yet?"

"Well, I've only been here half a day; so I really haven't had the chance to look around yet," said Cream with a slight blush.

Amy and Cream were having a great conversation when they were suddenly joined by Rouge and Tikal. Rouge and Tikal were best friends, like Cream and Amy. All four of them were friends, however, except sometimes Rouge and Tikal did not hang out with Amy and Cream because Amy and Cream were too "nice" for them at times. Tikal was like Rouge's sidekick. You'd always find them together.

"Hey, girls. How's your day going?" asked Rouge, taking a seat next to Amy. Tikal sat across the table next to Cream.

"Hey, Rouge. It's okay. I'm just asking Cream about boys."

Rouge seemed intrigued by this. This was evident by her raised brow.

"Does she already have a crush?" asked Rouge.

"No, Rouge. I don't."

"Boys are easy picking. Act like you want them and they're easy picking."

"Are you sure that your breasts have nothing to do with that?" asked Amy.

"Hey, I can't help it that I'm blessed."

Sally, Julie-Su, and Mina walked across the cafeteria right pass the girls. Sally and Julie-Su gave them a slight look, then turned to look straight as they passed by. Mina never looked their way at all.

"Bitches!" said Rouge. Tikal, who had been quiet the whole time laughed at this.

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Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles grabbed some cafeteria food and headed for a table. They found an area that had only one person eating there and sat next to him. He was a silver hedgehog with two long quills going back while the rest were arranged like a fan on his forehead. He had rings on his wrist and wore black and blue shoes. He wore an orange basketball jersey and black Girbauds. (A/N: Girbauds are a brand of jeans).

"What's up, guy? We haven't seen you around here before," said Sonic.

The silver hedgehog looked up at Sonic.

"I'm new. Today's my first day at Station Square High."

"I'm Sonic and this is my little brother, Tails, and my good friend, Knuckles."

Knuckles did his handshake with the silver hedgehog. The hedgehog caught on very quickly.

"Nice to meet you all. My name is Silver," he told them.

"Them Girbauds are off the chain," said Knuckles.

"Thanks! I got them at the mall a few days back," said Silver.

"I might get myself a pair," said Knuckles.

"What school did you attend before here?" asked Tails.

"I went to Emerald High in Triopolis," said Silver.

Knuckles looked up and around after biting his ham sandwich to see Shadow nibbling on the neck of a pink fox with long hair. Knuckles nudged Sonic in his side and pointed at Shadow.

"Look at him," said Knuckles.

The pink hedgehog was giggling uncontrollably.

"He's going to catch something," said Sonic.

Shadow decided that he was finished with that girl and got up. He headed over to where Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Silver sat. He took a seat next to Tails.

"Who's the new guy?" asked Shadow.

"My name is Silver."

"Oh, that's good. Man, that fox got some sweet neck," said Shadow.

"We saw you," said Sonic. "What's her name, anyway?"

"Ummm, you know what? I forgot to ask her her name," said Shadow. "I'll just call her 'Monday.'

"Monday?" asked Tails.

"Monday."

"Are you ready for football tryouts?" asked Knuckles.

"Are you serious? I am so ready to show off more of my god-given talent," said Shadow.

"Cocky as ever." Knuckles turned to Sonic and Silver. "How about you guys?"

'I don't think so. I'm not the football type," said Sonic.

"What's the matter? You scared?" asked Shadow.

"No! I just don't want to."

"Yeah! He's scared," said Knuckles. "How about you, Silver?"

Silver gave thought to it. He knew that being in a new place, he needed to do something to get him some notice and reputation. This could be perfect.

"I'm in," he said.

"Good! At least we know that you're not a pussy like Sonic," said Shadow.

"I ain't scared. You'll see. I'll be there, and I'm going to rock."

"We'll see, Sonic. We'll see."

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The last class of the day for Tails was Biology I. He entered the classroom and sat in the left corner of the room. Cream came in the room and sat in the desk to his right. She noticed that he did not look all that happy and decided it best to cheer him up.

"Hi there," she said.

Tails looked up. Was she talking to him? Except for Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver, no one had spoken to him all day. Why was she?

"Hi!" Tails said it as if he was very pleased to meet her. The truth of the matter is that he was.

"My name is Cream. What's yours?"

"Tails."

"It's nice to meet you, Tails," said Cream with a friendly smile. Then, she turned to face front. Tails let out a small smile. It seemed like he has made a new friend.

The teacher was a short, scrawny old koala. She was only a few inches taller than Tails and Cream. She started class by explaining class procedures. It was a boring lecture. Tails could hardly take his eyes off his new friend. She was the only new person that showed him any kindness since he came here. She wasn't bad looking either. The teacher lectured on.

"Every one of you will have a lab partner. I'll be pairing you up myself."

She went around the classroom, pointing and designating. "You and You. You and You. You and You." When she came over to Tails, he looked at her. "You and You." She pointed at Cream. Tails' heart just melted right there. That was exactly what he was wishing for. He finally has a reason to look forward to school.

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_Okay! Chapter 1 is complete. I have so many ideas for this. I'm going to make this the best story I can make. Please R&R ASAP. Chapter 2 will be up shortly._


	2. Football Tryouts

_Yes! I do play football. Defensive Lineman. Tackling is what I live for. (That and fan fiction.) Thanks for the reviews on Chapter 1. I hope this one is ten times better than the firs chapter. _

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_Ring._

That was the bell to end school. Knuckles and Shadow left their classes and headed straight for the football field. Being returning players from last year, they were sure to make the team, anyway. Sonic waited around for Silver before heading out to the football field. For some reason, Tails went with them, but Sonic was unsure what the reason was.

When they reached the football field, it seemed like many kids had shown up. A gray hedgehog was busy warming up by doing push-ups. A silver fox was doing crunches. Many of the others were stretching their legs and arms. Silver, Sonic, and Tails went over to where Knuckles and Shadow were. They changed into more appropriate clothing. Tails put on goggles, which made a few guys laugh when they saw him.

"Glad to see that you didn't wuss out," said Shadow.

"Never that," said Sonic. Silver nodded in agreement.

"What are you doing here, Tails?" asked Knuckles.

"I need a reputation boost. I don't want people to think that I'm a nerd," said Tails.

"But, you are a nerd," snickered Shadow.

Tails frowned at this. He wondered if Cream thought he was just a nerd, too.

All of a sudden, a tall, long, green crocodile walked onto the field. He wore blue and gray shorts, a baseball cap, and a sleeveless shirt. He had the look of a fierce animal. In his eyes, you could tell that he expected nothing but the best. There was no smile on his face, or an expression at all. He was surely coach material. As he marched over to the bleachers where all the guys had assembled, everyone got quiet.

"Hi. My name is Coach Vector. You may call me Coach Vector, not coach, Vector, Vec, or Coach Vec. It's Coach Vector. Understand?"

The guys nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, the first order of business is to let you know a few things. I run a tight ship. Everyone will be expected to do his part. There will be no stragglers on this team. If you're not able to work your ass off, leave now to avoid further embarrassment."

He gave it a second to see if anyone was going to leave, but nobody moved.

"I'm glad to see that I'm dealing with men here and not boys. If you survive tryouts and prove yourself worthy, you will have the privilege of calling yourself a Tornado. Now, first of all, where are Knuckles and Shadow?" he asked.

Shadow and Knuckles raised their hands.

"These two guys right here are your team captains. Shadow is the offensive captain, and Knuckles runs the defense. Follow in their footsteps and one day, you might become great, too. Shadow and Knuckles, come here."

Shadow and Knuckles got down from the bleachers and walked over to Coach Vector. Shadow stood on his left, and Knuckles stood on his right.

"All who are going out for offense, please stand over here by Shadow. All who are going out for defense, stand over here by Knuckles."

All the guys suddenly got up from the bleachers and went to stand by either Shadow or Knuckles. Tails took off his glasses and put them in his backpack. One guy fell as he left the bleachers. Vector saw that.

"It looks like I might have to make some cuts. It seems as if some guys can't even get out of the bleachers without messing up. Now, let's go."

Sonic, Tails, and Silver all lined up behind Shadow. They were all going out for offense. Knuckles had some guys on his side as well.

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"First up is the speed test. You must run a 40 yard dash while I time you," said Coach Vector.

Coach Vector walked to the 40 yard line. Shadow stayed by the starting point for observation. A red hedgehog went first. He was pretty fast. He clocked in at 5.1 seconds. Next, a fat, albino cat stepped up. He ran very slowly, clocking in at 7.8 seconds. Silver went next. His speed was very moderate. He clocked in at 5.3 seconds. Tails went next. He was very uncoordinated and slow. His time was 6.8 seconds. Coach Vector shook his head at this. After Tails, a blue rabbit went, then a green mongoose, and after him, the gray hedgehog that was doing push-ups at the beginning went. Sonic was next. He looked very determined.

"Go," said Coach Vector, blowing his whistle.

Sonic took off like a rocket. His feet moved quickly. It didn't take him any time to get down to the 40 yard line. The coach looked at his time. A big grin came on his face. Sonic's time was 4.4 seconds. Even Shadow managed a brisk smile at his friend.

A small group of girls emerged and went to sit on the bleachers. They had come to watch the boys tryout. In that group were Amy, Rouge, Tikal, Cream, Sally, Mina, and Julie-Su. Each girl had her eyes on someone in particular.

Tails looked back at the bleachers and saw Cream staring at him from the second row. He blushed. Now, it was time for him to work his hardest.

"Next up is the catching test. You will run a simple post pattern, and Shadow will throw you the ball. Let's go."

Shadow grabbed the loose football and stepped up to the starting point.

"Hike!" said Shadow.

The red hedgehog took off. Shadow threw him the ball, but he missed. The ball slipped right through his fingers. Next, the silver fox went. He caught the ball gracefully. Sonic went next. He ran the route, but it was a little crooked. He caught the ball, but then dropped the pass as it slipped out of his hands. Tails was next. He ran the pattern slowly as Shadow threw him the ball. Tails raised his hands to catch, but he was too late. The ball collided with his head, and he fell to the ground. He could hear the girls laughing from the stands. He felt humiliated, but remained silent. He got up, brushed himself off, and went back into the group. Coach Vector shook his head again. Silver was next.

"Hike!"

He ran the route perfectly. Shadow lobbed the ball up into the air. Silver must have grown wings because he jumped at least four feet into the air to catch the ball. It was a perfect catch as well. All the other guys awed at Silver for his catch. Tikal gave him a smile. She liked how he looked catching that ball in his muscle shirt and gray shorts.

"How can you jump so high?" asked Shadow.

"I play a lot of basketball," said Silver.

"Well, that explains the jersey," added Sonic.

On the other side of the field, Knuckles had his shirt off. A couple of girls, two in particular, were ogling his sweaty body. Knuckles was completely ripped. He had massive upper body strength. His pecs and abs were hard as a rock, and his arms were the size of telephone poles (A/N: I'm exaggerating.). Knuckles went up and charged at a gray wolf. He was demonstrating the proper hitting technique. The wolf's feet actually left the ground as he was thrown back ten yards before falling. Knuckles was a beast out there, but very sportsman-like. He walked over and helped the gray wolf up.

"Good job, Logan," he told the wolf.

The other defensive players were awe struck at Knuckles' raw power. They were glad that they didn't have to get tackled by him.

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The coach then gathered all the players together.

"The final portion of today's tryouts is the scrimmage. Knuckles and Shadow will show you the plays, and you execute. We're doing this to try you out at different positions," said Coach Vector. He blew the whistle.

The two sides lined up. For the first play, Sonic was wide receiver and Tails was the half back. A green chameleon pitched Tails the ball. He tried to run up the field, but was tackled by a big, blue hare for a loss of one yard. On the next play, Silver was half back and Tails was wide receiver. This time, the green chameleon pitched Silver the ball. He was tackled at the 30 yard line for a gain of ten yards. On this play, Silver was wide receiver, Sonic was half back, and Tails was at tight end. Tails had a blocking assignment that play, but got ran over so easily. The green chameleon lobbed the ball up just as he was getting hit. Silver jumped over his opposition and caught the ball with one hand. He was tackled at the 45 yard line in their territory. On the next play, Sonic outran the other players for a 45 yard run and a touchdown. The girls cheered from the stands as Sonic scored.

Coach Vector kept switching up positions until scrimmaging was over. Sonic and Silver did well. Tails, on the other hand, could've used some more practice, but since he was a freshman playing with all the upper classes, his chances of playing on a varsity team were slim, anyways.

"Alright, bring em' in," said Coach Vector.

All the guys kneeled before Coach Vector at center field.

"Great day of tryouts. I will have the roster posted up in the corridor in the school and also on the field house door tomorrow. Most of you will make the team, but a few will be cut. I'm sorry, but we only have enough equipment for a certain amount of players. Those who do not make it may try playing less physical sports like golf because you do not qualify to be a Tornado. Those who do make the team will have their class schedules changed to where Football is the last class of the day. We will practice then and also an hour after school. I'll see you then. Tryouts are over."

He blew his whistle.

The sun was setting when practice was declared over. There was only a little sunlight left. The guys all went to the bleachers to get their things. They were all dirty and sweaty, but Tails was the worst off. He had suffered a lot out there. Sonic was proud of him for it. The girls had left before tryouts were over. Sonic, Silver, Knuckles, Shadow, and Tails got dressed and headed for the parking lot. Knuckles left his shirt off, however.

"How do you think we did?" asked Sonic.

"You did okay, I guess," said Shadow.

Sonic chuckled his trademark chuckle.

"Where are you guys headed now?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm about to go and grab a bite to eat before I go to see Monday," said Shadow.

"You are such a whore," said Sonic.

"Maybe, but I gets mine," said Shadow.

"I know. That's why you stay buying condoms," said Sonic.

"I hate to interrupt, but could one of you guys give me a lift. I don't have a car, and it's a long way to my house," said Silver.

"I got you," said Knuckles.

"Thanks. I'll give you some gas money in the morning," said Silver.

"No charge. You're one of us, now," said Knuckles.

Silver and Knuckles got into his Mustang, Sonic and Tails got into Sonic's Camaro, and Shadow got on his motorcycle. They all rode together to Spanky's with Knuckles' stereo bumping. Spanky's was a café where they hung out. They came in there almost every other day. Knuckles put on his shirt, and they walked in. They walked in and took a seat in their usual booth. Their waitress came up to take their orders.

"Hey, Tikal. How are you?" asked Knuckles.

"Hey, Knuckles. I'm fine. Thanks for asking," said Tikal. She noticed that the silver hedgehog from tryouts was with them. "Who's your new friend?"

"My name is Silver. It's very nice to meet you," said Silver, taking her hand. He gave it a gentle greeting.

"It's… nice to meet you, too," said Tikal, almost melting. She kept smiling at Silver. Knuckles and Shadow saw this and smiled as well. Actually, they laughed to themselves.

"What can I get you?" she asked still looking at Silver.

"What would YOU recommend?" asked Silver.

"My personal favorite is the chicken salad, but a strong guy like you would probably want something like the catfish dinner," said Tikal.

"I guess I'll have that and a medium Pepsi," said Silver.

"Coming right up," said Tikal. She left to place his order.

"Tikal! Tikal! Tikal!" yelled Knuckles across the café. "You forgot to place our orders!" Tikal did not hear a word Knuckles said, even though everyone else heard him and stared at him.

"What?" he said to the people.

They turned around and continued eating.

"I think she likes you, Silver," said Sonic.

"Who? That waitress? You think so?" asked Silver.

"She must like you considering she was so focused on you that she forgot our orders," said Knuckles.

Tikal finally came back and took their orders. After eating, they all went their separate ways. Shadow took his motorcycle to Monday's house and Sonic and Tails went home. Silver showed Knuckles where he lived and Knuckles took him home. He lived in a good-sized house. It was quaint. It was two stories with a basketball court behind it.

"This is me," said Silver. He opened the door and got out. "Thanks, Knuckles."

"No problem, dawg," said Knuckles. "See you tomorrow." He backed his car up and headed towards home himself with his stereo blasting.

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_Well, this is chapter 2. I tried not to overdo it with too much football terminology in case some of my readers do not understand football too well. Did you enjoy? Let me know right now._


	3. Fast Times at Station Square High

_I'm glad that you liked the first two chapters. Every chapter, I try to do a little better than the last. I love writing for fan fiction and it pleases me when people read my stories. Also, I just got Sonic Rivals and Rivals 2. It's badass. Can you believe they put Knuckles and Rouge on the same team? Makes you wonder, don't it?_

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Knuckles picked up Silver the next morning in his Mustang. Knuckles never had to blow his horn to let someone know that he had arrived because his stereo was so loud that it could be heard all the way down the block.

Silver came out his house with a purple basketball jersey on. He put his backpack in the backseat and got up front. Knuckles turned his stereo down so he could talk to Silver.

"So, when are you going to talk to Tikal?" asked Knuckles as he pulled out of Silver's driveway.

"I don't know. I hope very soon. I just got to get my game together. I'm new out here; so I don't know what the girls out here like," explained Silver.

"Girls are the same everywhere. All you got to do is lie to them and they're yours," said Knuckles. His seat was let all the way back. "Wait here. I got to get some gas.

Silver sat in silence as Knuckles filled up his tank. After about a minute, he came back.

"Here. I got you some breath mints for when you talk to Tikal today," said Knuckles, tossing Silver a brown paper bag. Silver took one out and consumed it.

"Think you made the football team?"

"I hope so."

"Don't worry. Have faith. With those sweet moves you pulled off yesterday, I'm sure you did."

Knuckles finished talking to Silver and turned his stereo back up. Silver and Knuckles were literally vibrating. The rearview mirror looked like it was about to come off.

Knuckles was on time today. It was only 8:00. Knuckles got a close park. He got out and stretched his arms. Silver followed suit. Tikal and Rouge were still sitting in Rouge's car. She drove a white Civic. When Silver got out of Knuckles' car, Tikal eyed him. Silver turned around and caught a glimpse of her. She saw that he was looking at her and waved at him. Silver lightly blushed and waved back.

"I see that you have a crush, girl," said Rouge. "And it's the new guy, too."

"What? No, I don't," said Tikal turning hot pink.

Rouge looked over at her with a menacing stare. When Tikal caught Rouge's face, she knew that she had been found out.

"Okay, so maybe I like him a little. Do you think he likes me?" asked Tikal.

"I think he does, but he's afraid to tell you. He is new after all. He's only been here a day. Give him time. He'll come around."

"Thanks, Rouge. You're a really big help."

"I know. I know. I'm a love doctor," said Rouge.

Tikal laughed at her comment. Love Doctor? As if.

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A group of boys were crowded around a wall in the corridor after the bell had rung. Many of them were smiling and making victorious gestures that implied that they had made the team. Sonic, Shadow, Silver, Tails, and Knuckles crowded around it after the guys had left. They looked at the list.

"Hey, we're all starters," said Sonic. "I'm the starting half back."

"I'm wide receiver," said Silver.

Tails skimmed the list. He searched the list three times, but could not find his name on the roster.

"Hey, where's my name?" asked Tails.

"I thought I saw your name on there, too, little bro," said Sonic.

"There it is. You're the manager, Tails," said Shadow.

Tails put his head down. He didn't make the cut. He felt horrible inside, like he just swallowed a plane propeller.

"Cheer up, Tails. At least you get in all the games, free," said Knuckles.

"That's not enough. People will still make fun of me," said Tails. He walked off with his head facing the floor.

"Poor kid," said Shadow.

After Tails left, the rest went to their classes as well.

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Amy and Rouge had ceramics together. Their assignment today was to make a flower pot. As Amy and Rouge got their hands dirty, they chatted.

"I hear that Sonic is now a jock," said Rouge.

Amy sighed. "I bet he looks good in them shoulder pads and tights."

"Why don't you ask him out instead of sitting over here having wet dreams about him all day long," said Rouge.

"I do not have wet dreams about Sonic. Fantasies, maybe, but not wet dreams."

"Amy, I've seen the way you ogle him. If you want him so bad, take him. You're a cheerleader for Christ sake. It's tradition for you to date a jock."

A piece of clay fell into Amy's hair. She reached up to get it and knocked over her pot. It became a squishy mess on the floor.

"Miss Rose, are you sure you know what you're doing?" asked the teacher.

"Yeah! I just got distracted," she replied.

"Thinking about Sonic again," whispered Rouge.

Amy growled at her.

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Tails went into his biology class, still sulking. He hadn't said a word all day. The only thing that even made him raise his head up was Cream.

"How are you feeling?" asked Cream.

"I'm feeling fine," said Tails. "I just hate that I didn't make the football team."

"Don't worry about that. It just wasn't meant to be, but you shouldn't doubt yourself because of that. Even though you didn't make the team, I still think you're great," said Cream. She smiled at Tails.

Tails smiled back. That was the confidence boost he needed. The rest of the school day was your basic normal day for Tails.

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Today after school, Amy had cheerleading practice, Rouge, the captain of the dance team, and Tikal had dance team practice, and the guys had football practice. Sally, Mina, and Julie-Su left school and went to the mall.

"I heard through the grapevine that Amy is thinking about asking out Sonic," said Mina.

"She had better not. Sonic will be my man. I'm the better girl. What would Sonic look like dating a sophomore? He needs a beautiful lady on his arms and I'm that girl," said Sally. "Sonic is my man, and I will slit that bitch's throat to get him."

"That's a little harsh, isn't it?" asked Julie-Su.

"It may be, but wouldn't you do the same for Knuckles. Speaking of which, are you going to ask him out this year?" asked Sally.

"Definitely. Did you see how good he looked yesterday with his shirt off?"

"I saw, but he's not my type. I like those slender guys that I can boss around and control," said Sally.

"I like those tall, dark, and handsome hedgehogs," said Mina.

"Are you still crushing on Shadow?" asked Julie-Su.

Mina sighed. Julie-Su just shook her head. Mina was sprung.

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The guys had just finished setting up their equipment. As manager, it was Tails' job to keep everything organized and fetch the water and towels at the games. Tails knew that managers hardly got any respect, but at least he got to be seen with the team.

After a long, exhausting day of running and doing drills, Knuckles and the others took off their equipment and got dressed. Then, they headed for the parking lot and headed home.

"Sorry guys, but I can't hang out tonight. I got English homework," said Sonic.

Sonic and the blue Camaro sped out of the school. Shadow was behind him and Knuckles was bringing up the rear. About halfway home, Knuckles saw a familiar Civic on the side of the road. It was Rouge and Tikal. They had a flat tire. Rouge had the jack out, and it seemed that she and Tikal were trying to figure out what to do, considering that Rouge was sticking the jack through the spare tire. Knuckles pulled over in front of Rouge and Tikal. He and Silver then exited their vehicle.

"Having a little trouble?" asked Knuckles.

"Yeah. We're not too savvy when it comes to cars. Can you help us?" asked Rouge.

"Just call me Mr. Fix-it," said Knuckles. He took off his shirt and put it on the hood of the car. The only thing he had left on was his muscle shirt. His pecs were coming through his shirt.

"My, my! I have never seen this big lug up close before. Very nice," said Rouge, eyeing Knuckles. Tikal laughed over on the other side of the car.

Knuckles squatted down and started to work. First, he took the jack and slid it under the car. Then, he jacked it up. While he was taking off the lug nuts, Rouge came up behind him. She placed her soft body up against his back. Knuckles hesitated for a second. This was unexpected. He wondered what she was trying to do as he continued changing the tire.

"Don't mind me. I'm just observing," said Rouge.

Tikal and Silver stood on the other side of the car. They kept staring at each other, smiling and blushing.

"Hi!" said Silver.

"Hi!" replied Tikal.

Rouge looked up at Tikal and Silver. They disgusted her with their shyness. Even though it was obvious that they liked each other, neither one would admit it. A blind man could tell that they liked each other. Rouge knew that she had to help the couple out before they got so scared that they start avoiding each other.

"I'm all finished," said Knuckles.

Rouge backed up so that Knuckles could stand up. He put the busted tire in the trunk where the spare tire once was. Then, he closed the trunk.

"Thanks for the help. It was really…sweet," said Rouge.

"Your welcome," said Knuckles, taking his shirt.

"I wish that there was some way that we could repay you." Rouge paused for a moment and pretended to be thinking, but she already knew what she was going to do. She just had to play it off. "I know. How about you and Silver double date me and Tikal this Friday," said Rouge.

She came closer to Knuckles; so close that her soft body was pressed up against his hard one. "We need to get our two friends together. This is the perfect way. We could do this, and maybe more," said Rouge.

Knuckles brought his face closer to hers and had this devilish smirk on his face. "It's a date."

Rouge seemed to melt right there, but she remained cool about it. Silver and Knuckles returned to the Mustang.

"Bye!" said Silver with a wave.

"Bye!" replied Tikal, waving back.

Knuckles and Silver got back into the Mustang and drove off with the stereo blasting. Rouge and Tikal got the Civic and drove off as well.

"Haha. Silver, my friend, we got dates with two very fine girls. So Friday night, I want you to put on your good shit because I guarantee that by the end of the night, that waitress is going to be yours," said Knuckles. "Don't forget to bring your breath mints either.

In Rouge's car, Rouge was giving Tikal the same speech.

"Girl, I just got you the ultimate chance to get that cutie. Don't mess it up. Friday, I'll try to get you two alone by distracting that Knucklehead some way. When you two get alone, tell him how you feel. Trust me, he's totally digging you."

"I guess that I can give it a shot," said Tikal.

"That's my girl."

About ten minutes later, Rouge and Tikal arrived at Spanky's. Tikal got out of the car and headed in after getting her work uniform out of the back seat. Afterwards, she waved goodbye to Rouge and went in as Rouge pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

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_I am truly feeling this story. It's so easy to get ideas when the writer is experiencing some of the same things as the characters. Anyways, Chapter 4 will be the double date. Soon, maybe not the next chapter, I will get Julie-Su and Sally involved with Knuckles and Sonic and we'll see how Rouge and Amy takes it._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	4. Double Date

_Okay, first of all, I want to thank everyone for their reviews and reading my story. I had no idea that it would be so big a hit. Thanks to all the reviews I'm receiving, I am more motivated to continue this story than any other one. I love you guys._

_Disclaimer: The rightful owners of Sonic are Sonic Team and SEGA. The story's mine, but the characters in it are not. _

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Silver tossed and turned a lot in bed that night. All he could think about was the date he had Friday with Tikal. He kept going over in his mind what he was going to say, but he never made a decision. Tikal had his mind warped. Why did Rouge and Knuckles have to set them up? They did it for them. Knuckles and Rouge were just trying to get their two friends together. After about two hours of turning over and over, Silver's eyelids got heavy and eventually shut.

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Friday was finally here. Silver and Tikal both waited with anticipation. They both avoided each other the whole day with neither even eyeing the other for a second. Thankfully, there was no football practice today; so Silver didn't have to worry about rushing home, taking a shower, and freshening up before the date.

At lunch, Silver was quiet. All that was on his mind was the date he had in a few hours. The girls at his old school were tired and lame. He never felt any attraction for any of them, but here, he finds love in the first week.

Shadow was across from the rest of the guys with a magenta chameleon. He was talking his game to her, and she was buying it. Her smile told it all. That and the face that her hand was in Shadow's lap.

Across the cafeteria, Rouge, Cream, Amy, and Tikal were having their lunch.

"Guess who has a date tonight," said Rouge.

"Rouge, you didn't have to tell them about it," said Tikal.

Amy and Cream looked at each other with a smile.

"So what guy is she going out with?" asked Amy.

"The new hedgehog," said Rouge.

"Silver? He's really cute. You two would make a lovely couple," said Amy.

Tikal blushed at this. She suddenly started imagining herself as Silver's girl. Tikal started seeing Silver in his football pads and she in her dancing uniform, posing for pictures as Mr. and Mrs. Station Square. She then started seeing them at the homecoming dance. She and Silver slow-danced the night away.

"Tikal? Tikal?" said Cream, waving her hand across Tikal's face. Tikal suddenly snapped out of her daydream.

"Huh, err what?" said Tikal.

"My girl is tripping. She just zoned out," said Rouge.

"I was just thinking," said Tikal, taking a bite out of her sub.

"About Silver?" asked Amy.

"Well, yeah! I hope I don't mess up tonight."

"Tikal, you'll do fine. Just do what comes naturally," said Rouge.

"Maybe, you're right."

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After school, Silver went straight home. There was no hanging out or anything. He went inside and immediately started getting ready, even though the date wasn't until 7:00, and it was only now 4:15. First thing Silver did when he got home was get in the shower. He wanted to be fresh for his date if nothing else. After a 45 minute shower, Silver stepped out. His fur was a little wilted, however. Silver used a blow dryer and a brush to reshape his fur. After a long shower experience, he went into his closet to pick out what he was going to wear. In the end, he chose a black and gold shirt/vest combination with black girbauds. Silver ironed them thoroughly, making sure that his clothes were completely wrinkle-free. After he was done, he checked the time. It was 5:23. There was still about an hour before Knuckles would show up. Silver decided to watch some TV until it was time to go. He sat on the couch in his boxers and watched MTV videos.

After about five videos, Silver decided that it was time to get dressed. After he threw on his clothes, Silver put on his shoes. After tying up the laces, he grabbed his cologne and gave himself three squirts of it. The finishing touch the two gold rings that he wore on his wrists. Silver was ready.

Twenty minutes later, Silver started to hear a stereo bumping. He already knew that it was Knuckles. Silver took a deep breath and went outside. As he was exiting the house, Knuckles pulled up in his driveway. Silver put on a calm face as he entered Knuckles' car. Knuckles was wearing a red and black football jersey. He had a gold chain around his neck.

"Ready for your date?" asked Knuckles.

"Don't you mean our date?" said Silver.

"Hey, the only reason I agreed to this date was for you and Tikal to get on one," said Knuckles bluntly.

"Sure you did."

"I did!"

"If you say so Knuckles."

The double date was to see the release of a new movie at a drive-in. It was a chick flick, but it was better than sitting at home on a Friday night with nothing to do. The name of the movie was _A Scented Rose. _

Knuckles pulled up next to this car with fogged up windows. The car was also slightly moving, which suggested that the couple next to them were 'occupied'.

"Before I go, let's have a breath test," said Knuckles.

Knuckles and Silver both breathed into their hands. Silver and Knuckles both had gnarly breath.

"Is that your breath or mine?" asked Knuckles.

"I think it's yours. We both had better take some breath mints just to be safe," said Silver.

Silver pulled out two breath mints. He gave one to Knuckles and he kept one for himself. After taking the breath mints, Knuckles was ready. He exited the car. The foggy car next to them started moving again. Knuckles took a precautionary backstep.

"Silver, get in the driver's seat."

Silver scooted over into the driver's seat. Knuckles tossed him the keys.

"I'm leaving my baby in your hands. You and Tikal do whatever feels natural, but if I find a scratch on my car, that's your ass. Understand?" asked Knuckles.

"I got it. Don't worry. I'm a good driver," said Silver.

Knuckles walked off and left Silver alone in his car. As Knuckles was walking to Rouge's car, Silver was reassuring himself that he would be alright.

"You can do this," said Silver to himself. "Don't worry. Just remember to be yourself and don't say anything stupid."

Knuckles walked around the parking lot until he spotted Rouge's Civic. It was only three spaces from his, but Knuckles walked all the way around looking for it.

"Why aren't guys ever on time?" asked Tikal.

"They're guys. They are always fashionably late," said Rouge, putting on some lip gloss.

Rouge and Tikal were suddenly startled by a loud tapping on the glass. It was Knuckles.

"Remember what I told you," said Rouge.

Tikal nodded and opened the door.

"Your date is over there," said Knuckles pointing to his car.

"Thanks! Your date is in there," said Tikal with a smirk.

Knuckles blushed at this, but luckily Tikal didn't see it because she had turned to head for Silver. Knuckles got in the car with Rouge.

"Hey, there, handsome," greeted Rouge.

"Hello, Rouge," responded Knuckles.

"I hope your boy can handle my girl," said Rouge.

"I wouldn't worry much about him. I taught him everything he knows."

"Then, he may have a problem because I taught Tikal everything she knows."

"What are you trying to say?" asked Knuckles.

"Figure it out."

"I know you're not think that I can't get a girl, are you?"

"Well, I don't see you with one," teased Rouge.

"I haven't met the right one.

"What kind of girl is the right one?"

Knuckles thought for a moment.

"Spontaneous, beautiful, and smart," said Knuckles finally.

Rouge laughed. "For a second, it sounded like you were describing me." Rouge stopped laughing when she realized what she was saying.

"What was that?" asked Knuckles, who was still thinking of qualities he liked in a girl.

"Oh, nothing. Shut up and watch the movie, Knucklehead!" said Rouge.

"Fine!"

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The movie progressed on. Knuckles and Rouge spent the first half of the movie arguing over nothing, but it slowly built into friendly conversation. Tikal and Silver were sitting in silence. Half the movie was over with and all they had been doing was watching it. They barely even noticed the other, both too scared to speak up. Silver finally broke the silence.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?" asked Silver.

Tikal looked over at him from the movie. "It's been nice. The movie is really interesting."

Silver got quiet again. He was trying to figure out what to say next.

"I, uh," he started. "Do you want something from the concession stand?" asked Silver.

"Well, uh, I haven't eaten since school, but…"

"I'm going to go get you something then."

Silver got out of the car quickly, leaving Tikal sitting there confused. He mentally slapped himself for getting out. He said that he wasn't going to do anything stupid, but he did just the opposite. As he headed for the concession stand, he saw Knuckles standing up there getting some bon-bons. Knuckles was surprised to see him up there.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Knuckles.

"I came to get some snacks," said Silver.

"You didn't chicken out, did you?"

Silver was hesitant to answer.

Knuckles placed his hand on his forehead and sighed. "Silver, this fear is going to cause you to lose her. She really likes you, but unless you let her know that the feeling's mutual, she might move on. Just tell her what she wants to hear."

"What if you're wrong and she's feeling the opposite?" asked Silver.

"I know I'm not wrong. Stop doubting yourself. Girls don't want a guy who's lacking confidence. Now, I'm going back to the car with this bat, and I want you to go back over there and tell her what you feel. If you don't, I'm going to hit you with everything I got Monday at practice," said Knuckles.

"Okay, I'll go. By the way, how's your date coming along?" asked Silver.

Knuckles laughed. "It's been…. very interesting," said Knuckles. "That girl has some admirable qualities."

Knuckles walked off and headed back to Rouge.

Silver ordered popcorn and two sodas Afterwards, he headed back to Tikal. When he got back, Tikal was texting on her phone. He entered the car and sat down. Then, he passed Tikal the popcorn and a Pepsi.

"Thank you!" she said.

"Tikal, I'm sorry that I ran out earlier, but I had to clear my mind and get some things straight."

"Oh! Are you okay now?" she asked.

"Well, not quite. There's something that I really need to say."

"What is it?" she asked, now paying attention to him.

"Ever since I left Spanky's the other day, I've been thinking about you," said Silver.

"I've been thinking about you, too, Silver. I've been attracted to you since I saw you at the tryouts," said Tikal.

"Really?"

Tikal smiled. "Yes! I was just too afraid to say anything," said Tikal.

"I was, too. I mean I felt our connection that day when you took my order. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I felt something. Now, I know that it was love. Tikal, I got to tell you that I have feelings for you, girl."

Tikal was taken by this. She had been wanting to hear those words all week. Finally, she heard them, and they were music to her ears. Tikal leaned over closer to Tikal. She and Silver were trapped in each other's eyes. This wasn't lust, but true affection. Silver saw Tikal's face moving closer to him. This was the moment he had been dreaming of, his first kiss with a REAL girl, not those fake ones from his old school. Silver moved his face closer to hers. Soon, their lips touched and true love was realized. It was only a five second kiss, but to them, it felt like forever.

When they broke, Tikal put her head on Silver's chest and they continued watching the movie together. They were now officially a couple.

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(A/N: This happened at the same time as that last part.)

Knuckles got back into the car with Rouge and passed her the bon-bons he went to get for her.

"It seems that your boy is having trouble breaking the ice. I just got a text from Tikal saying that he's real jittery," said Rouge.

"I know. I saw him run up to the concession stand when I went up there, but I gave him a pep talk; so now he should be able to tell her what she wants to hear," said Knuckles.

"For his sake, I hope you're right," said Rouge.

Knuckles stretched out his arm and placed it around Rouge's seat.

"This movie is really stiff," said Knuckles.

"It is kind of dull," said Rouge.

"Then, why'd you pick this sappy movie?" asked Knuckles.

"For our love-sick friends, but it seems that they don't want to watch it either."

"Then, let's get out of here. There's no reason that we should have to suffer with them," said Knuckles.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Rouge.

"I don't care. Wherever you stop," said Knuckles.

Rouge cranked up her car and pulled out of the lot. On their way out, they passed Knuckles' Mustang. The sight within made them smile. Tikal's head was resting on Silver's chest. Silver's arm was around her. Silver saw them pass and used his free hand to give Knuckles a thumbs up.

"See, I told you they'd hit it off," said Knuckles.

"Shut up!" said Rouge with a smile.

"What?" asked Knuckles smiling back.

"Don't think you're the king of romance because just because Silver and Tikal seem to be hitting it off."

"It must mean something," said Knuckles.

"Just shut up and let me drive," said Rouge, still smiling.

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After the movie, Silver drove to Applebee's. He and Tikal went inside to eat. Their waitress was a teenage grey cat. Silver and Tikal ordered their food shortly after sitting down. Silver spent most of the time whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Shadow taught him that. For some reason, Tikal liked it. She stayed giggling over what he was saying to her. Silver kept it small because he didn't want to overdo it on the first date. After several minutes, their food finally came. Silver and Tikal both enjoyed themselves and were glad that they were finally a couple. They also knew that being around Knuckles and Rouge meant that they would never hear the end of it.

After eating, Silver drove her home. They talked some more, just to get to know each other a little better. Silver turned on the radio, but that was a huge mistake because Knuckles' bass was turned all the way up. It startled Tikal. Silver quickly turned it back off.

"Sorry about that," said Silver.

Tikal giggled. "It's okay."

Silver pulled up into Tikal's driveway.

"This is me," said Tikal.

She leaned over and gave him one final kiss before getting out.

"Bye, Silver."

"Bye, Beautiful," he responded.

He waited until Tikal was inside before leaving. Silver just had to face the facts. He was in love.

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_I hope you liked it. R & R. By the way, this chapter for Knuckles and Rouge was a light fluff. They were mainly focused on Silver and Tikal, but got in a little alone time with each other as well. There'll be more on them in the later chapters. _

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	5. Football Frenzy

_It's time for the next chapter. Sorry about this one taking so long, but Thanksgiving interfered. When the fam is around, I sometimes get distracted from my writing duties, but I'm back for a bit. Also, I'd like to say that MY high school is starting back; so the new chapters may take longer to come. (Maybe). I had no idea that so many people would like this story. I'm going to try to continue to please you all._

_You might not care but…_

_**Name/Position/Number**_

_**Sonic/Half back/#24**_

_**Shadow/Quarterback/#7**_

_**Knuckles/Linebacker/#56**_

_**Silver/Wide Receiver/#83**_

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_Late night…_

"Hello?" said a sleepy voice.

"Hey, girl. It's Mina. You'll never guess who I saw with Knuckles at the drive-in movies tonight."

"Who?" asked the voice now sounding more alert.

"Girl, it was Rouge."

"Rouge?" said the voice loudly.

"Yes. I saw him get into her Civic. He stayed in there the whole time, Julie-Su. Now, I couldn't see what they were doing in there, but we all know the reason that people go to the drive-thru," said Mina.

"She's been pushing up on Knuckles? Well, she won't get to keep him. Thanks for letting me know, Mina," said Julie-Su.

"No problem. I'll call up Sally and let her know. She won't get away with it," said Mina.

"You better believe it," responded Julie-Su.

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A week of normal school went by. Nothing special happened during the week. Shadow continued seeing every girl he met. Tails still hated school, except for Biology that is. The others hardly ever talked with Tikal and Silver. They kept to themselves. Every now and again at lunch, Knuckles and Sonic would look to the corner and see Silver and Tikal talking and eating. Rouge hardly ever had time with her sidekick except for dance practice, but that was fine because Rouge started spending her time making one echidna blush and another one envious. As for Amy and Sonic, Amy hadn't made her move yet.

It was Friday again, but this Friday was no ordinary day. Today was the first football game, and everyone was ecstatic. The school colors, royal blue and gray, were hanging everywhere. Many signs and posters had been made and hung around the school to support the team. The football players wore their game jersey to school on game days. Their jerseys were gray with blue outlines. Tails, the manager, had to wear a gray polo shirt with khakis. The cheerleaders had to wear their outfits on game day as well. The outfits were short, of course, with a white stripe running diagonally down the middle with the gray on top and blue on bottom. The word 'Tornados' was written across the center.

Sonic and Shadow sat on the trunk of his Camaro talking about things. Sonic was still criticizing Shadow about being a whore. Julie-Su, Mina, and Sally were all posted up against Sally's car. They all gave a scandalous look across the lot at Rouge, Amy, Cream, and Tikal and whispered some 'gossip' to each other.

After a few minutes of soliciting, the bell rang. Everyone headed to class for another day of school. Game days were usually hyper.

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The first game always called for a pep rally. At 2:20, everyone crowded into the gym for the pep rally. The cheerleaders took their positions on the floor as everyone got settled. Sally, Mina, and Julie-Su all took their seats in the middle row of the bleachers.

It only took about 5 minutes for everyone to get in the gym. After that, the band started playing and the pep rally was on. The band played as the football team walked in through the gymnasium doors followed by Tails at the end and Coach Vector behind Tails. The other students cheered for their team. A lot of popular boys played for the team. The football members took their seats in chairs that had been set out in front of the bleachers. After the band, the cheerleaders came out and did their thing.

"_GO TORNADOS. GO! GO! BLOW THOSE WUMPAS AWAY," _cheered the cheerleaders, while executing several cheer gestures with their gray and blue pom-poms. When they finished, the school applauded loudly. After that, the cheerleaders left the floor and the dance team, led by Rouge, came out onto the floor. As they did their dance routine, many of the guys started cheering louder than the girls. Rouge and her dance team members were all hot. Their moves were sort of stripper-like, but they had more class with their moves.

After they finished, the band started playing again. The cheerleaders came upon the floor and did a routine. Cheerleaders were tossed in the air. Amy and a few others went across the floor doing back handsprings and splits. A few perverted guys sat in the front, desperately trying to look under the cheerleaders' outfits. The routine ended with a pyramid formation with Amy on top and raising one of her legs into the air. The crowd cheered fiercely. First games were usually the best one next to homecoming.

After the cheerleader routine, Coach Vector came to the center of the floor and prepared to speak. The crowd got quiet.

"Over the past few years, I've seen great talent. As players come and go, I see talent get better and better. However, no matter how great the talent gets here, we have a hard time going to the playoffs, but that's all going to change this year because these guys are hard workers and fierce competitors. This year, I guarantee a championship."

The crowd roared.

"Now, allow me to introduce the key players for your 2007-2008 Station Square Tornados."

The crowd cheered even louder.

"First up, our starting full back. Give it up for Mighty the Armadillo." The armadillo walked over to Coach Vector. There was moderate clapping.

"Next, we have a new player. This guy really touched my heart with his speed. He's your starting half back. He's Sonic the hedgehog!" Sonic got up and walked to stand next to Mighty. There was a lot more cheering for Sonic. Sally stood up and almost jumped out of the bleachers. Amy saw that and couldn't help but not smile at the sight. She was hoping that Sonic didn't see her.

"Next, we have another new player. He just transferred here from Emerald High. He's got the feet of a kangaroo and the hands of an ape. Give it up for the starting wide receiver, Silver the Hedgehog." There was unsuspected cheering as Silver headed to stand next to Sonic. Tikal waved at him from where the dance team was standing. Silver smiled her way.

"We all know this next guy. He's the heartthrob, offensive captain of the team and has an unbelievable arm. The ebony prince himself. He's Shadow the Hedgehog." As Shadow walked up, the crowd went wild. The guys gave him claps, but most of the girls in the school screamed at the top of their lungs for Shadow.

The coach introduced two other defensive players.

"Finally, we have a veteran. He's been playing since the 9th grade and he's still with us. The defensive captain and team powerhouse. He's never missed a game without injuring a player. He's feared throughout the district. Our starting linebacker, He's Knuckles the Echidna!!!!!!!!!!!" The whole school shook as people cheered loudly for Knuckles. Despite his overwhelming power, Knuckles was very popular amongst the students. They respected his football abilities very much.

"Our manager is Miles Tails Prower." Tails came to join the others at the center of the floor. Tails received a light clapping, mostly from the teachers.

"Make sure you come out and support your Tornados tonight as we take on the N. Sanity Island Wumpas."

The pep rally ended with the spirit stick. The juniors won the spirit stick, but it was a close one. The seniors almost got it.

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_Game Night…_

The air was brisk, the sun was setting, and the crowd was out as the game commenced. The Wumpas arrived on their bus at precisely 6:00. They wore orange and red jerseys and the team consisted of mostly bandicoots with a few other assortments of animals. The coach was a short, bald guy with an N tattoo on his forehead. As soon as they got off the bus, they strutted to the field for their pre-game warm-up. The visiting bleachers had people scattered about. The home side was clustered with people from all over Station Square. Football games were a pastime in Station Square. The mayor, police chief, and many other officials attended. Cream and her mother came as well. Mina, Julie-Su, and Sally were there socializing with boys and just hanging out.

As the Wumpas walked off the field, the Tornados came on. Before Sonic could get onto the field, he was called over.

"Sonic!"

Sonic looked over to see that it was Amy who called. Amy ran over in her cheerleader outfit and approached Sonic, who now had on his shoulder pads and his helmet was in his hand.

"I just wanted to say…. Good luck out there," said Amy.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, Ames," he said with a smile. He put on his helmet and dashed to catch up with the rest of the team. They did their warm-ups and before you knew it, the game was under way.

The Wumpas had first ball. The tornados kicked it off. It landed in the hands of # 34. He ran it back and was tackled at the 28 yard line. On the first play of the drive, the quarterback snapped the ball. He quickly pitched it to their halfback, a scrawny bandicoot. He was tackled for a gain of 3 yards. On the next play, the quarterback was sacked by Knuckles, who was blitzing. The quarterback got the wind knocked out of him and had to sit on the bench for a few plays. The back-up quarterback came in. On third down, the quarterback threw it to their wide receiver on the left side, who was a skinny komodo dragon. He was tackled at the 41 yard line by a gray wolf.

"First down, Wumpas," said the announcer. "It's # 80, Komodo Joe."

The next play was a run. It was pitched over to the bandicoot, who took off at top speed. He ran to midfield, where he was brought down.

"A nine yard run by # 25, Crash Bandicoot."

After reaching midfield, they did not gain another yard because of excellent defense. They were forced to punt the ball. After the punt, the Tornados were on the 26 yard line.

On the first play, Shadow pitched the ball to Sonic. His speed was shown immediately as he ran twenty yards before being tackled. On the next play, Shadow lobbed it into the air. Silver ran as fast as he could to the football. Even though he was covered, Silver jumped up above the defender and snagged the ball. The crowd was stunned at this feat. Never before had they seen someone jump like Silver. Silver got great yardage and was brought down at the 20 yard line in the Wumpa's territory. On the next play, Silver was being covered by two defenders. No one was open, so Shadow threw the ball away before he could get sacked for an incomplete pass. On second down, Sonic gained 5 yards, but that was not good enough for a first down. On third down, Silver ran a post pattern, and Shadow threw him the ball. He caught it in the corner of the endzone and scored a touchdown.

Everyone cheered as Silver scored. Tikal was smiling as well from the sidelines where the dance team was.

"Look at your man go," said Rouge.

Tikal just giggled and continued cheering.

At the end of the first half, the score was 21-14. After Silver's score, he scored again and Sonic scored the last touchdown with a 43 yard run. He faked the defense and sprinted into the endzone, leaving them in his dust. On the Wumpas, Crash scored one, and Komodo Joe scored another. At halftime, the dance team came onto the field and performed, followed by the cheerleaders.

Inside the locker room, Coach Vector was giving a pep talk while Tails gave the players water and towels.

"Alright. Not a bad first half, but don't get cocky and think you're automatically going to win. We have a whole half still left to play. If you don't win tonight, we're going to bear crawl until our arms fall off. Tornados on 3. 1, 2, 3."

"TORNADOS!!!"

The second half was just as exciting as the first. The Tornados received the opening kick. A red hedgehog ran the ball to the 24 yard line before he was hit by a big, maroon bandicoot. This drive was mostly unsuccessful and they turned the ball over with a punt. The Wumpas called for a fair catch and took it from the 30. On their first play, Knuckles blitzed the quarterback. Before he could get rid of the ball, Knuckles hit him low and sent him on a flip. Before he landed, the football was dropped. It was a fumble. Knuckles dived onto the ball. A whole group of players crowded on top of him as soon as he grabbed the ball. Once the players got up, Knuckles was still holding the ball. It was now the Tornados ball after that fumble. Suddenly, the paramedics and Wumpas coach were rushing to the field. Apparently, Knuckles hit the quarterback so hard that he sustained an injury.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Pinstripe Potoroo, quarterback for the Wumpas, has sustained a knee injury. He'll be out for several weeks with a torn MCL," said the announcer.

"Damn, Knuckles. Why didn't you just kill him?" said Sonic.

"If I killed him, I wouldn't be able to hit him again," stated Knuckles.

Sonic chuckled at Knuckles' competitive spirit before heading to the field. The offense rushed to the field.

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"TOUCHDOWN!! TOUCHDOWN!! COME ON, TORNADOS, GIVE US A TOUCHDOWN," cheered the cheerleaders.

Sitting in the stands, Mina, Sally, and Julie-Su got an envious look on their face while popping their gum.

"Amy had better not get her hopes up because Sonic is mine and only mine," said Sally. "She might have made cheerleader over me, but I refuse to let her steal my man."

"Girl, she doesn't know who she's messing with. Neither does Rouge," said Julie-Su.

"Well, I'm going to wish you two good luck," said Mina. "I'm going to try to ask out Shadow afterwards.

"You know that he's slept with half the girls in this school, don't you?" asked Sally.

"I know that, but I think I can change all that. Just give me one night with Shadow and-"

"He'll break your heart before morning," finished Julie-Su.

Mina was slightly angered by this comment.

"You're just jealous because Knuckles may like Rouge instead of you," said Mina.

Mina got up and walked off. Julie-Su looked at Sally.

"She'll be back once Shadow uses her. Maybe, she needs to be taught this lesson. Guys like Shadow only want one thing. Once they get it, you're yesterday's news," said Sally. "But I see something in Sonic that Shadow does not have.

"Feelings?" asked Julie-Su.

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," shrugged Julie-Su.

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The game was a harsh one, especially for Silver and Sonic. Shadow and Knuckles had more experience; so it wasn't that hard in them. Nevertheless, Sonic and Silver proved to be excellent players. Although they did not score the second half, the Tornados won the game with a score of 35-21. A white chameleon that played at wide receiver on the side opposite of Silver scored one, and Shadow scrambled the other one from the red zone.

After the game, the team did a victory salute as the Wumpas walked off the field with the agony of defeat. Coach Vector shook hands with the Wumpas coach. It was only a sign of great sportsmanship.

After the game, the players headed for the field house to get dressed.

"You two played a nice game," said Shadow, putting his jeans back on.

"Thanks, Shadow. You're not too bad yourself," said Silver, tying his sneakers.

Coach Vector entered the field house. He had a grin on his face. "Great first game, fellas. See you at practice Monday."

As they exited the field house, there were a number of students still hanging in the parking lot.

"Great game," said a weasel.

"Great defense, Knuckles," said a purple cat.

Sonic and crew were hanging around the parking lot for a while, just to be out. After about ten minutes, he was approached by Amy.

"Sonic!" said Amy. She had taken off her cheerleader outfit, and was now back in regular clothes.

"Excuse me for a sec, guys," said Sonic. He dashed over to Amy, who was waiting for him in the middle of the parking lot. "What's up, Ames?" he asked.

She liked her little nickname that only Sonic called her.

"Umm, nice game," said Amy.

"Thanks. The first one is always the toughest, but I think that I did pretty well," said Sonic.

"You did," said Amy with a smile. "Listen, Sonic, I was wondering, umm, if you would like-"

"Sonic!" said a familiar voice from someone Amy despised.

Sally came rushing over to where Amy and Sonic stood. She simply butted in front of Amy and gave Sonic a hug.

"Nice game tonight," she said.

"Thanks a lot," said Sonic in his usual cheerful manner.

"Say, I'd like to properly congratulate you. Would you like to join me for a slurpee or something?" asked Sally.

"Uh, sure. Why not?" said Sonic.

"Great!"

Sally gave an evil smirk towards Amy before walking off. Amy was dismayed.

"So, what did you want?" asked Sonic.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to give my congrats," said Amy. "I'll see you around."

Amy walked off, smiling on the outside, but crying on the inside. Sonic rushed back to his friends.

"Guys, I got a date with Sally Acorn," said Sonic to his friends.

"How'd you get a date with Ms. Popular?" asked Knuckles.

"Obviously, she was impressed with my skills," bragged Sonic.

"Dude, you're okay, but you're nothing to brag about," said Shadow.

"If she wanted skills, she'd have asked me," said Knuckles.

"She might not like skills, but I do," said Julie-Su, walking up. She put herself almost into Knuckles' arms. "Whaddya say we get out of here and go someplace else."

Knuckles got a hot flash that turned him completely red. "Sounds like a plan," he said in a higher than normal voice.

She grabbed Knuckles by the arm and led him away with her. The rest of them just stood there in shock.

"Whoa!" said Silver.

"Hey, Shadow. Could you give Tails a lift home?" asked Sonic.

"Sure. I got a few minutes to kill before I'm due at Marine's house," said Shadow.

"Thanks, buddy."

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"So she just stepped right in front of you?" asked Tikal as she, Amy, and Rouge headed for the car. Cream headed home with her mother.

Amy nodded.

"The nerve of Sally. That's just foul. Why does she have to be so jealous?" asked Rouge.

As they approached Rouges' car, there was a note attached to the hood. Rouge picked it up and read it. It was written in girly, pink handwriting.

It read: DON'T FUCK WITH MY MAN!!

The I was dotted with a heart and the exclamation points were long and squiggly. Rouge also noticed that there was some spit on her windshield. Suddenly, a car passed her and everything made sense. Julie-Su passed by Rouge's car. She slowed down as she passed, making sure that Rouge could see Knuckles in the passenger's seat. She also gave Rouge 'the bird'. After smirking at Rouge, Julie-Su took off, speeding out the parking lot.

Rouge was angered. She cursed Julie-Su and tore up the note. She started cursing louder and louder. A few other students who were still there peeked at her.

"What the hell are you looking at?" she asked.

The students continued to stare with interest, including Shadow, Silver, Tails, and Sonic.

"How dare that bitch spit on my car? She must be losing her goddamn mind. I tell you this, though. If she ever says anything else to me, I'm kicking her ass," said Rouge.

Tikal and Amy knew better than to get Rouge angry because it was not a pretty sight.

Rouge got into her car and turned on her windshield wipers and sprayed some fluid to clean the windows.

"Sally and Julie-Su know what they're doing. They're toying with our heads. You know that they don't like us," said Amy on the ride home.

"Just wait. I really wasn't interested in dating Knuckles. He's cool and I really liked him a lot, but I wasn't that interested in him at first, but now, it's war. I won't stop until Knuckles' big, masculine arms are wrapped around me," said Rouge with authority.

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_(Stretches). I'm going to give you a little while to take in all of that. Sorry it took so long, and I hope you understand. Things are starting to come together. I wanted to say again that I really appreciate the love and reviews my story is receiving. I read all of them. Give me more. Ha._

_P.S. Sorry about all the football lingo. If anyone needs help understanding, ask me. I'd be happy to tell you._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	6. Party Like a Rockstar

_I finally got a break; so I decided to write some more story. Thanks for the reviews thus far. I really appreciate them. I want my readers to know that I write from off the top of my head. I use no notebook to write my story down. I just let it come naturally. Now, I won't waste any more of your time. Let's get Chapter 6 started._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the SEGA characters in the story._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The next few weeks of school were full of surprises. Much to Rouge's dislike, Knuckles had stopped calling her. Every time she tried to get close to him, Julie-Su seemed to come out of nowhere and press up against him. Rouge was trying her best not to blow her cool, but Julie-Su was beginning to work her nerves.

With Sonic, Sally had given him her phone number. Sonic was very intrigued about hanging out with Sally because being seen with her boosted his popularity. Sally was dropping a lot of hints about wanting to be Sonic's girlfriend, and Sonic noticed this, but did not act upon it for some reason.

Silver and Tikal were getting along great. They are always going on dates and get along nicely. Last week when Silver and Tikal were walking down the pier, Silver used the L word. Tikal was taken by his words and realized that she felt the same way. They also had become one of the more popular and well-liked couples around school.

Shadow was still being Shadow. Mina has had little success breaking the ice with Shadow because he is never without a girl.

Tails was still having problems.

The football team had won more games and lost only one against the Reapers. They only lost by a field goal.

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_Tuesday…_

This morning when Sonic and the gang arrived at school, they found an old friend handing out flyers on black paper. He was a bright red fox with dark blue eyes. He wore a black wife beater and black shorts with black and red shoes. He did not always hang around Sonic and his friends, but when they met, they got along nicely. He was just cool like that.

"Yo, wassup, guys," said the fox.

"Hey, Flame. How have you been?" asked Sonic.

Flame gave a big smile. "Man, I've been busy fighting the girls off of me. You know how it is," said Flame.

Flame gathered four flyers and handed them to Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, and Shadow. They read them to themselves before looking back up.

"Word. You're throwing another party Friday night! I'm so there," said Knuckles.

Flame's parties were the best. His parties were how he gained his popularity. They were always out of control and fun-filled with plenty of drinking and plenty of music. His parties were the social events of the year.

"Yep! Right after the game. If you're not too tired, stop by," said Flame.

"Why didn't I get a flyer?" asked Tails.

"No freshmen allowed!" said Flame firmly.

Tails put his ears down. He had been disappointed once again.

"Chin up, little bro. Next year, you'll be partying your two-tailed ass off and you won't even remember not going to any parties your freshman year," said Sonic. "I'm sure you'll find something to do."

After passing the guys their flyers, he continued to make his way around the parking lot.

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_Biology Class…_

Today, Tails and Cream had a lab assignment. The assignment was a worm dissection. Cream was very displeased by the sight of a mutilated worm; so Tails did it himself. Whenever the teacher came around, he gave Cream a scalpel and made her pretend to cut the worm. In the end, they both received A's on this assignment.

"Wow, Tails! You're really smart," said Cream with a smile.

"I'm nothing special. I just happen to be good at science. One day, I plan to be a mechanical engineer," said Tails, blushing.

"I wish that I was as smart as you. I need a tutor because I'm not doing well in here."

"Well, I could tutor you if you want," said Tails.

Cream's eyes lit up. Tails look in them and saw their luster. They looked like two brown gems that had just been uncovered to him.

"Would you really?"

Tails nodded shyly.

"Great! How about Friday after the game? Amy, Rouge, and Tikal are all going to Flame's party, but he doesn't allow freshmen to go; so I have nothing to do," said Cream.

"Sounds like a date," said Tails.

Tails realized what he had just said. It sent a chill down his spine because he thought that Cream would think that he was a horny jerk. What Cream said, however, shocked Tails. Cream started laughing.

Drop by my house, Friday. It's the second house to the right on Lake Trace Road," informed Cream.

"See you then!" said Tails.

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_Friday Night…_

Tonight's game was against the Hyrule Arrows. They wore green jerseys. Their team was composed of only elfish looking people. On the opening kick, Sonic returned the ball forty-five yards. On the first play, Shadow gave the ball to Sonic. He ran the ball another fifteen yards after juking two defenders. That was the last first down because Sonic didn't make too many yards on the next two plays and Silver missed a pass. On fourth down, the Tornados punted the ball and the Arrows, and they returned the ball twenty yards.

The Arrows didn't have very much skill at football. Before a minute was up, they turned the ball over after gaining only two yards the whole drive. When the Tornados got the ball back, Shadow threw the ball downfield to Silver. Silver caught the ball and ran it for a touchdown.

The game went on from there. This was the Tornados' best game. They never let up any. At the half, the score was 33-7. Silver already had 126 yards and Sonic had 77 rushing yards.

The halftime show went on as usual with Rouge and her dance team performing their routine, and then, the cheerleaders appeared on the field and did their routine. The crowd cheered their hometown on.

The stands were fuller tonight than usual. Most of the people here were teenage sophomores, juniors, and seniors. They were going to tail gate to Flame's party. A few of the guys seemed already to be drunk. This was going to be a crazy night.

The second half changed nothing. Sonic and Silver still dominated the game. Shadow kept throwing the ball into the air and Silver kept snagging it. On defense, Knuckles had a powerhouse defense on the field. The quarterback for the arrows kept eating the turf. When he was not eating turf, his receivers were eating turf. There was not a single player on the Arrows offense that could stop Knuckles from tackling them. Knuckles hit one guy so hard that his helmet was tossed back ten yards. When the guy hit the ground, he received a concussion.

Sonic and Shadow looked over to the edge of the bench. Coach Vector was asleep. They were winning by so much that Coach Vector had gotten bored and dozed off. It was funny because he was lightly snoring. His snout was turned straight up into the air and his mouth was open. The whole team was cracking up.

At the end of the game, the score was 56-14. The Arrows left the field, feeling pretty bad. The guy Knuckles hit was still in a concussion. Coach Vector finally woke up at the sound of the final whistle. He looked up at the scoreboard and laughed. He was proud of his boys.

The guys went into the field house, got changed, and headed through the door.

"Man, what a game! My numbers are really looking nice this season," said Shadow, who threw for 562 passing yards.

"Sonic, you keep running like that and you'll surely get a college scholarship," said Knuckles.

"Maybe, but I'm not worried about that. Right now, we need to head over to Flame's," said Sonic.

The parking lot was mostly empty. Everyone had already left for Flame's party, including Julie-Su, Mina, and Sally. Tikal wanted to wait up for Silver, which caused Rouge to be held up since Rouge was the one who she was riding with. When the guys reached the parking lot, Rouge saw that Knuckles was alone and knew that this was her chance to strike. As Tikal headed for Silver, Rouge headed for Knuckles.

"Hey, Knuckie," greeted Rouge.

"Knuckie?" asked Knuckles raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah, Knuckie. It's my new nickname for you. You don't mind being called that, do you?"

"It's okay. You can call me whatever you like," said Knuckles.

Rouge turned back to Tikal and tossed Tikal her keys.

"Drive over to Flame's party yourself with Amy and Silver. Knuckie and I need to talk about some things," said Rouge.

"You do?" asked Tikal.

"We do?" repeated Knuckles.

"Yeah! I'll explain on the way," said Rouge. She grabbed Knuckles by the arm and led him to his car.

"Well, you pussies, I'm going to head over to the party. See you there," said Shadow.

Shadow got on his motorcycle and headed out of the parking at top speed. Sonic and Tails got into the Camaro and took off shortly after with Tikal right behind them. Knuckles and Rouge still hadn't left the parking lot.

Sonic and Tails were en route to Sonic's house to drop off Tails when Tails spoke up.

"Sonic, I'm not heading home tonight," said Tails. "I'm heading over Cream's house to help her with her Biology."

Sonic smiled. He was happy for his little brother. "Why didn't I hear about this before?"

"I, um, forgot to tell you."

"No matter. I'm taking you. Show me where she lives."

Tails gave the directions to Sonic and he headed towards Cream's house. After about seventeen minutes, Sonic pulled up in front of a very quaint, vanilla-colored one story house. There were two beautiful flower beds on both sides of the stepping stones that led to the door. A red minivan was parked in the driveway.

"I guess that this is it," said Tails. He opened the door wide and got out of the car. Sonic had promised to wait until Tails was inside before he took off and left. Tails stood out there for about a minute before someone came to the door. Cream's mother answered the door. When she motioned for Tails to come in, Sonic waved good-bye to Tails and headed for Flame's.

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_Inside Cream's house…_

Tails walked in and Cream's mother shut the door behind him. He looked up and saw that Cream's mother was smiling.

"It's nice to meet you, Tails."

"It's nice to meet you too, ma'am," said Tails with courtesy.

Cream's mother was still smiling. It was like she could see something inside of him that just made her smile. The smile got creepy after a second and Tails started to feel uncomfortable.

"Um, is Cream here?" asked Tails nervously.

"She's down the hall. Her room is the third one on the right," said Cream's mother.

Tails walked down the hall to the door that Cream's mother said was Cream's. He knocked lightly. After three seconds, the door flung open. Cream was standing there in a pink skirt and a black top with a smile on her face.

"Tails! Come in," she said.

Tails walked in. Her room was quite colorful. There were yellows and blues and pinks all over. She had hearts on the wall, a ton of stuffed animals, a laptop on a desk she had in her room, and her bed had bears on the covers. Also, there were frames of pictures all over, mostly of Amy, but there were a few with Rouge and Tikal in them as well. Her room told Tails that Cream was one of those real sweet girls.

Tails placed his backpack onto her bed. After that, Cream closed the door behind them.

"So, shall we get started?" asked Tails.

"Let's." Cream sat onto the floor, where she had placed her Biology book. "Half the time our teacher is speaking, it sounds like she's talking Japanese, and she never calls on me when I tell her I have a problem?"

"I know. Maybe, her hearing aid is broken," said Tails.

Cream laughed. "As old as she is, I'm surprised that she's still teaching."

"So, show me the topics you were having trouble with," said Tails, opening his Biology book.

"Well, a big problem is with the cell," said Cream.

"Well, Cream, the cell is the smallest living unit of life. Every living thing is made of cells. In fact, ----------------------------------------------."

Tails went on explaining the cell to Cream. She listened very carefully as the fox explained.

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Knuckles and Rouge had finally left the school. As they drove, conversation brewed.

"So, why haven't you called me lately?" asked Rouge.

Knuckles knew that giving a girl the wrong answer would leave her angry, and hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"Actually, I've been meaning to call you, but Julie-Su takes up all my time. I'm always either on the phone with her or somewhere else with her," said Knuckles.

These were not the words, Rouge wanted to hear.

"Are you two dating?" she asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I just can't tell right now. She sure seems interested in me. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know. Have you kissed her?"

"Unfortunately, yes. She's okay to hang out with, but she's a terrible kisser," said Knuckles. "Once, she even bit my lip."

"Sounds like she needs her teeth removed._ And I'm just the girl to do it," _thought Rouge.

"You may be right because she cut my lip with her kiss."

Rouge then took the moment to adjust her halter top since it was turned crooked. Then, she applied her lip gloss.

"What do you think of this one?"

Rouge grabbed Knuckles by the head and brought his head over. She placed her face against his, and before you knew it, they were lip locked. Rouge didn't feel Knuckles returning it. She was then starting to think that making a move on Knuckles was a bad move. She was just about to stop when she felt Knuckles open his mouth. Rouge opened her mouth, and Knuckles placed his tongue down her throat. The kiss got so passionate that Knuckles had forgotten that he was driving. A car with bright lights blew its horn at Knuckles. Knuckles immediately jumped up, grabbed the steering wheel, and swerved into the grass and then back onto the road while breathing very hard. His heart was pounding. The crazy thing was that he didn't know if the car had made his heart beat fast or Rouge. Her kiss was way better than anything Julie-Su had ever done.

"Not bad," said Knuckles after he regained control of the car. "That's a dangerous kiss."

Before, Knuckles only thought of Rouge as a friend. At the drive-in, they were only talking like friends. There was no love or lust thought of about each other, only friendship. Now, tonight, Rouge comes out of the blue and places the best kiss he has ever had in his life on him. Knuckles was so confused. Even though, he was a guy, he was an honest guy. Unlike Shadow, he didn't like to play with the hearts of girls. Knuckles didn't know what to think. There was an odd silence between the two of them all the way to the party. Rouge herself was doing some thinking as well.

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Flame's house was a three-story, if you count the attic, five-bedroom, two-bath house. He had a patio with speakers that went from the stereo in the living room out to the patio. Also, on the patio, there was a swimming pool, trampoline, and some tables and chairs. Inside on the second floor, he had a pool table, the bedrooms, and the den. There were close to a hundred fifty people at his party. Most of them were high school kids, but a few college girls and guys showed up too. Even a few teenagers from Hyrule showed up.

When Knuckles and Rouge arrived, Julie-Su ran out onto the grass where they had parked. She had a big smile on her face and a drink in her hand. Her smile quickly turned to a frown when the passenger door swung open and Rouge the Bat exited the car. She gave a devious glare at Rouge before continuing to Knuckles.

"Hey, babe. What took you so long?" asked Julie-Su.

"I had to take care of some things before I came here," lied Knuckles.

"Like what? Getting a quickie with the school whore there," said Julie-Su.

Fortunately for her, the music was so loud that Rouge didn't hear that. Julie-Su took Knuckles away from Rouge and led him into the party. Rouge went into the party and found Amy, Tikal, and Silver. They were hanging out poolside.

Flame was walking around with a blue bucket hat and some stunner shades on. He enjoyed being the host of parties, which is why he threw so many. When he saw Knuckles and Julie-Su on the patio, he had to speak.

"Hey, Knuckles! Glad that you could make it," said Flame.

"Glad to be here. Great party," said Knuckles.

"Well, I live to please. There are refreshments in the kitchen. I know that I usually have one keg, but tonight I got three, dawg!!!!!!" said Flame very excitedly. It was obvious that Flame had been doing some drinking. Knuckles could smell the O.E. on his breath. It smelled like he had drunk the whole 40 oz.

Knuckles eyed Shadow sitting on a chair with two girls on his lap. One was a brunette echidna and the other was a green hedgehog with blue hair. He shook his head at the sight. There were a few guys and girls in the pool. One guy was dead drunk behind the door that led into the house. They walked inside past the drunken teenager and found Sonic and a few other guys from school standing in a corner. _Set It Off _by Lil' Boosie was playing on the stereo.

"I'm about to go chill with Sonic for a minute. Why don't you go find Mina and Sally," said Knuckles.

"But I want to spend time with you," said Julie-Su.

"We'll spend time together. I promise."

Julie-Su sighed. "Okay." Then, she went over to find Sally and/or Mina.

"Hey! What's happening, Knuckles?" greeted Sonic when he came over.

"You know what it is," responded Knuckles. Sonic had been drinking as well. He was still drinking.

"Look at all the females here," said the green hedgehog with Sonic.

"I heard that Tracey the Bat is now single," said an orange coyote.

"Why don't you go talk to her then, Eric?" said the green hedgehog.

"I will. Watch this, Nick."

Bryan left to go over and talk to Sheila the Bat. After about thirty seconds, he returned.

"What happened?" asked Nick.

"She's currently lip-locked with Shadow," explained Eric.

"How does he do it?" asked Nick.

"No one knows."

Just then, Shadow walked by with two girls, Tracey the Bat and the green hedgehog, whose name was Breezy. He led them upstairs and into a bedroom.

"You already know what he's doing," said Sonic.

"Yeah!" Eric had a perverted look on his face. "I'm about to go listen." He ran across the room and up the stairs. Nick ran after him.

Sonic and Knuckles laughed.

"Sonic, I'm about to go get a drink," said Knuckles.

When Knuckles left, Amy came in and sat on a love seat alone. Apparently, Silver and Tikal wanted to be alone. That left Amy alone; so she decided to leave. Amy had her drink with her as she went to sit on the couch. Sonic approached her and sat opposite of her.

"Hey, Ames," said Sonic.

Amy really hadn't looked up until Sonic sat next to her. When she saw that it was Sonic who was sitting next to her, she thought that she was seeing things.

"Sonic?" she asked.

"Are you surprised to see me?" asked Sonic.

"A little. We don't really talk that much because you're always around Sally."

"Well, I'm not with her now," said Sonic.

Amy giggled. "I don't know what to say, Sonic."

Sonic laughed. It took a while, but they eventually got off talking. It was mostly about school and their friends, but it was great conversation nevertheless. Amy might not have realized it at the time, but Sonic was enjoying himself as well. It might have been the alcohol settling in, but Sonic was having fun. Sally was so shallow sometimes.

Sally was coming in from outside to get another drink when she saw Sonic talking to Amy. She saw that they looked like they were having fun. Sally would not stand for this. She walked right over and interrupted Sonic and Amy.

"Sonic, I want you. Could you come here?" asked Sally.

Sally didn't wait for Sonic to answer before taking him by the hand and leading him away from Amy. Sonic did manage a wave before being out of sight. Amy sighed, but it was an ardent sigh.

After Sonic and Sally had left Amy, they went out poolside. Two girls were drunk and going down on each other. A group of guys stood around them watching and cheering.

"Sonic, what were you doing talking to her?" asked Sally.

"We were just talking. What's the big deal?" asked Sonic.

"Sonic, she's a sophomore. All she wants is to be popular, and she wants to use you to get there. She knows that if she is seen with a senior, her popularity will rise. She's also jealous of what we have."

"What we have?"

"Yes! You do like me, don't you?"

"Well, I-"

"Because I've already started telling people that we're dating," finished Sally.

"What?"

"It was only a matter of time before we started dating anyway."

Sally moved in and gave Sonic a quick kiss.

"I'm yours, now."

Sonic felt uneasy. He needed a drink.

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"-and that's how to classify a cell," said Tails, finishing up his lecture.

Cream closed her book and yawned. "Wow, I really understand it better now. Thanks for staying so late and making sure that I understood."

"Your welcome." Tails looked at the digital clock on Cream's dresser. It read 12:30. "Wow, I didn't realize that it was this late. I should really call Sonic."

Tails went into the living room. Cream's mother was watching _Blind Date_.

"Ahem. May I use your phone?"

Cream's mother smiled and pointed to the phone. Tails approached it and picked it up. Then, he dialed Sonic's number. No answer.

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Flame's party was a hit, as usual. Half of the people still there were passed out drunk, including one Hyrule football player named Link. Shadow would be spending the night at Flame's with Tracey and Breezy both in his arms. Nick and Eric were asleep outside of the door.

After hearing about his relationship status with Sally, Sonic decided to get a drink, but that was a mistake because he became intoxicated. Sonic's speech slurred so bad that it was barely understandable

"Sallyliftupyourshirtandletmesqueezeabreast," said Sonic while staggering. Sonic tried walking to Sally, but ended up falling over a chair. The horrible thing about it was that Sally had already left. She said that Sonic was sober enough to drive himself home. The only people really left there were Rouge, Amy, Silver, and Tikal, Knuckles, and about twenty more people.

Amy went over to staggering Sonic and helped him to his feet.

"Sonic, are you okay?" she asked.

"No, I'm not okay, Amy. Why don't you, Amy, and that other Amy just leave me alone. I'm about to go home." Sonic staggered about two steps toward the pool before turning back around. "Do I live here?"

"You'd better take him home," said Tikal. "He's in no condition to drive."

"Okay, but I'll need Knuckles to help me carry him out to the car," said Amy. "Where is he?"

They looked around for Knuckles and finally saw him. He was asleep on top of Flame's pool table. He still had some O.E. in his glass. Although it wasn't visible, there was some vodka mixed in there as well.

"That Knucklehead is drunker than Sonic," said Rouge. "I guess that means we have to take him home, too."

Silver and another sky blue hedgehog helped to drag Knuckles and Sonic's drunken bodies out to their cars. Amy was going to drive Sonic home, and Rouge was driving Knuckles home. Tikal would pick both of them up after dropping Silver off.

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After ten tries, Tails hung up the phone. He was silent.

"Having trouble calling home?" asked Cream's mother.

"I'm afraid so. My brother must still be at Flame's party, said Tails.

"Oh, that's the party that my Creamy wanted to go to. Well, you can use the guest bedroom until your brother comes for you," said Cream's mother.

"Can I?"

"Sure. It's right next to Cream's. I'll be sure to wake you if he shows up," said Cream's mother.

"Thanks for the hospitality," said courteous Tails. He went into the room and got ready for bed.

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Amy was driving Sonic home. Sonic was silent for the most part, but he would sometimes utter gibberish to himself. After about thirty minutes, Sonic was home.

"Wholiveshere?" asked Sonic.

"You live here," said Amy. She got out of the driver's seat and went around to open Sonic's door. She was very gentle when helping him out of the car. Sonic hit his head on the roof, but he didn't feel it.

There were a lot of keys on Sonic's chain. It took a few minutes before Amy was able to get the door open. When she finally opened it, she turned around and saw that Sonic had walked out into the street. Amy hurried after him.

"Where are you going?" asked Amy.

"I'm going home."

"You live here," said Amy, pointing at Sonic's house.

"Oh!" Sonic staggered into the house. Amy felt around for the light switch and turned on the kitchen lights. Sonic staggered into the living room and finally collapsed on the floor. He hit the floor with a loud thud. Amy used all her might and lifted Sonic onto the couch.

For a while, Amy just looked at him. He looked so peaceful, but his breath stunk of tequila. Even while drunken. Amy still showed that she cared about Sonic. She didn't go outside and wait. She sat right by his side until he heard a horn blow. Amy took one last look at Sonic. She looked around to make sure everything was okay before getting up. Before leaving, she gave Sonic a light kiss on the lips. After she sampled his lips, she went outside, where Tikal was waiting.

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Rouge was having similar problems with Knuckles. She knew that there was no way that she could get his ripped physique into his house; so she just let him sleep in his car. As she waited on Tikal and Amy, she studied Knuckles' face. From a certain angle, he looked kind of cute when he was drunk.

Rouge stopped for a moment and pondered on what she was thinking. Cute? More like drop-dead gorgeous. This was the hunk that she had always wanted. A muscular, handsome, AND compassionate guy who's also a good kisser was hard to find, but here he was, sitting right across from her. Sure, Rouge had her share of admirers from school, but none like him. Rouge couldn't continue lying to herself. She had been feeling this since the drive-in date. She felt love and she knew that this was no puppy love.

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_Please Review. Pleassseeeeeeeee!_

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	7. I Need a Date!

_Here's Icy. I finally got a break from life, so I decided that it's time for my next installment. I hope you enjoy and review._

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Sonic finally sobered up the next morning. His hangover was massive. He laid on the couch where he had awoken, not knowing how he ended up there. His guess was that Knuckles or Silver had brought him in. As he lay there, he slowly remembered the events of last night. He remembered sitting down and talking with Amy. Then, he remembered Sally saying that they were officially a couple. After that thought, Sonic's head began to throb again. If that wasn't enough, his phone began to ring. Sonic quickly grabbed his phone and pushed the button to silence the noise. He then looked at the number. It was a number that he did not know; so Sonic guessed that it was unimportant. He let the call die out. Less than a minute later, the number appeared again. Sonic was pissed. He was about to give this caller a piece of his mind.

"Listen, you asshole, I have a hangover, and I do not feel like talking. Don't call this number no more!!!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Sonic, where are you?"

The voice on the other end was one that he knew all too well. Suddenly, more pieces of the puzzle were filled in. He distinctly remembered where he had left this caller last night.

"Oh my God! Tails, I, uh, I'm sorry for leaving you out last night. Are you still at Cream's? asked Sonic.

"Sonic, where else would I be? Hurry up and pick me up."

"Alright. Give me a few minutes.

Tails hung up from Sonic and sat back down at the table with Cream and her mother. They had invited Tails to have breakfast with them.

"Thanks for inviting me to breakfast," said Tails, taking a bite of bacon.

"It's no trouble. We have plenty," said Cream's mother, Vanilla.

Breakfast had to be cut short due to Sonic's speedy arrival. After the horn sounded from outside, Tails knew that Sonic had arrived. Tails thanked Vanilla for her hospitality and headed for the door. Cream walked him to the door.

"Thanks again for tutoring me," said Cream.

"I was glad to do it," said Tails with a warm smile.

Tails turned to the door and grabbed the knob, but he did not open the door. Something was on his mind. He knew that if he did not get this off of his chest right now, he would regret it later. Tails turned back around to Cream, who was still standing there.

"Hey, Cream."

"Yes, Tails?"

"I know that this is a little early to be asking you this, but will you go to the homecoming dance with me?" asked Tails, blushing.

Tails looked away, hoping that Cream was not disgusted by his sudden approach.

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Sonic was impatiently waiting in the car. He still had a hangover, and his kid brother was taking forever to come out of the house. Sonic blew his horn again. This time, he saw his kid brother emerge from the house. Tails didn't seem like his normal self. Since he had arrived at high school, he really hadn't been in the best of moods, but now, he seemed more cheerful. Tails got into the passenger's seat and slammed the door.

"Argh. Do you have to slam so loud?" asked Sonic.

"You know, at first I was angry with you for leaving me here, but now I'm glad that you did because something amazing happened to me."

"What happened?"

"Guess who got a date for homecoming?" said Tails.

Sonic looked over at Tails and smiled.

"What? My little bro got himself a date? I'm proud of you. She's cute."

"Thanks. Maybe, my life is finally starting to turn around."

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_Monday_

This week of high school is one of the few times that students actually want to come to school. It was the second most exciting week of school right after prom night. It consisted of a football game that everyone wants to be at, friendly class rivalry, and to top it off, a dance. This week was homecoming. Rest assured that this week would be unforgettable.

It was early Monday morning at Station Square High. All the guys and girls were headed to first period. Down the main corridor, Sally could be seen handing out papers. She wasted no time starting her campaign for homecoming queen. Mina and Julie-Su were helping. Since they were only 11th graders, they could not be the queen anyway; so they decided to help their friend.

Amy, Rouge, Tikal, and Cream just watched her as she handed out her flyers and lollipops. (Yes! Lollipops. At my school, if girls are campaigning, they'll give out candy, thinking that you'll vote for them if they do.)

"Look at her. She's going to be like this all week," said Amy. "If only I were a senior, I'd give her a run for her money."

"Hey, Rouge. Why don't you go against her?" suggested Cream.

"That's a good idea, and we could help you spread your campaign," said Tikal.

"Thanks, but I really don't want to be homecoming queen," said Rouge.

Sally, Julie-Su, and Mina finished passing out her flyers and headed to class. On their way, they passed by Amy and her girls.

"Well, well, well. You better be glad that you're only a sophomore, Amy, or I'd crush you," said Sally.

"Only if you sat on me," said Amy.

Sally gasped. "Did this little bitch just call me fat?"

"And if I did?"

Sally began fuming. She scoffed and then turned and walked off.

"That bitch has some serious issues," said Amy.

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In ceramics class, Amy and Rouge were making ashtrays. As they melded the pots, they discussed homecoming.

"Amy, I already told you that I'm not doing it."

"Why not? I know that all the guys here are nuts about you."

"Those horny bastards only want one thing, and I'm not that type of girl," said Rouge.

Amy laughed. "Come on, Rouge. Are you saying that you haven't been deflowered yet?"

"That's what I'm saying."

Amy gave Rouge a serious look. Rouge looked over at Amy, but quickly looked away after seeing Amy's look. That was foolish, though, because Amy saw through Rouge's charade.

"I knew you were lying."

"Okay, so maybe I have done it once or twice, but I don't do it frequently. In fact, it's been a long time. I'm tired of being used," said Rouge.

"Used?" asked Amy. "Was it Shadow?"

"No it was not him. It was just some guy I met at one of Flame's parties last year. I had a few too many drinks and ended up waking up in his arms with my clothes off and a big hangover."

"That must have been awful. Do you think that Knuckles is the same way?"

Rouge stopped melding.

"To be honest, no. I know he's a jock and everything, but there's more to him than that. I mean, when we kissed, I-"

Rouge could not believe that she had just said that. Amy sat there, stunned.

"You kissed him?"

Rouge nodded.

"Oh my God!!! I knew that you rode to Flame's party with him for a reason," said Amy. "So tell me, is he a good kisser?"

"He's an amazing kisser. He uses just enough tongue, and he already knows my sensitive spots," said Rouge.

"Wow! I wish Sonic would do me like that," said Amy.

"Maybe, he will."

"What do you mean?" asked Amy, who had now stopped making her ashtray as well.

"I saw you and Sonic at Flame's party. It seemed like you two were having a great time."

"We were. I enjoyed it, and I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was, too. Then, Sally came over and took him from me." Amy had a piece of clay in her hand. She acupunctured it with her fingernail, pretending that it was Sally's head.

"Why don't you ask Sonic to homecoming?" said Rouge.

"I want to, but he might reject me," said Amy, lowering her head.

"You'll never know until you try. Besides, would you rather see him with Sally?" asked Rouge.

Amy felt disgusted by the thought of Sally and Sonic at homecoming.

"No! Eww!"

Rouge put the finishing touches on her ashtray. She now had a few minutes alone with Amy since she had to wait for the clay to dry.

"While we're on the subject of homecoming, do you think that Knuckles is going to ask you?" asked Amy.

"No," said Rouge calmly.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to ask him. He's in my Economics class."

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_Economics_

The teacher was explaining stocks and bonds to the class. Half the class was sleep, and the other half was dozing off. Rouge sat in front of Knuckles in the right corner of the room. Knuckles was asleep with his head on the wall.

Rouge nudged Knuckles' back. At first, he just snorted and continued sleeping. The second time, Rouge slapped Knuckles in the back of his head. He shot up out of his seat with his spiky dreadlocks going everywhere.

"I'm awake!" he yelled.

"I'm glad to hear that Mr. Knuckles," said the teacher. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to continue."

The part of the class that was still awake groaned.

"Hey, Knuckles," whispered Rouge.

Knuckles turned around to face Rouge in all her beauty.

"What's up, Rouge?"

"Um, what are you doing Friday?"

"I was planning on going to homecoming," he whispered.

"With who?"

Knuckles knew what she was getting at. It was all too easy to figure out.

"Hopefully with you," he said with a smirk.

"Really? That's good. I'll see you Friday night, and you won't be sorry" she said.

"Okay. I'll get the tickets this afternoon," he said.

"Mr. Knuckles, will you turn around in your seat and pay attention?" said the teacher.

Knuckles turned around in his seat, slumped down in his seat, and went back to sleep.

Rouge sighed, happy that she had finally got that off her chest. She couldn't wait to see how Julie-Su takes the news.

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Now, Sonic and Shadow were the only ones without dates. Shadow was considering his options, but Sonic was put into a corner. He already knew that Sally wanted to go with him since she had crowned him her boyfriend. The problem was that the feeling wasn't mutual, but being with Sally has done wonders for his popularity. He was very popular before he and Sally became an item, but now….

For the first time in weeks, Shadow was without a girl. His usual ones were taken, as were most of the girls in the school. Only ugly and nerdy girls remained for Shadow, and that was a big 'hell no'.Shadow knew that HE could not show up to homecoming alone, but the problem was that he might just have to. As Shadow sat at lunch alone, he started to think about who was left, but came up with nothing. That's when his 'secret admirer' came up to sit with him.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" asked the girl.

Shadow looked up. There, stood a smiling mongoose. She was beautiful. Her long purple hair gave her face a certain luster. When the light hit her just right, she seemed to glow.

"No, I don't mind. Sit down," he said nicely.

Mina sat down with her lunch right across from Shadow. This was new to Shadow since most girls preferred sitting next to him, but he didn't mind it.

"Aren't you that girl that hangs with Sally and Julie-Su? You're Tina," said Shadow.

"It's Mina," corrected Mina.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Mina. So why aren't you sitting with your friends today?" he asked.

"I needed a change of scenery," she said.

As lunch progressed, she and Shadow got friendlier. Mina was asking him questions about football, and he was explaining it to her.

"So Friday's a big night, huh?" asked Mina.

"Yeah! Homecoming is always a big night. That game is a 'must win'."

"What about the dance?" asked Mina.

Shadow laughed. "You're not going to believe this, but I don't even have a date for homecoming. I'm the quarterback for the football team, and I don't have a date."

"You know, I don't have a date yet either," said Mina.

This was good news for Shadow. She wasn't an ugly girl, and she was single. It's now time for him to swoop her off her feet.

"How could a girl as pretty as you not have a date?" asked Shadow.

Mina blushed and giggled lightly. "I don't know. How can a guy as good-looking as you be without a date?"

"I guess you could say that I was waiting on the right one," said Shadow. "And I think that I've found her. How would you like to be my date to homecoming?"

Mina gasped. "Would you really go with me?"

"Sure! I'll go get the tickets as soon as school is over," said Shadow.

"Great!" Mina wrote something down on a piece of paper that she got out of her purse. "Here's my phone number," said Mina, handing him the paper.

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_Thursday night phone conversation…_

Ring.

"Hello!"

"Hey, Tikal. It's Rouge."

"Hey, Rouge," replied Tikal. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just got bored and decided to call my best friend. You know, we don't hang out like we used to."

"I know. It's just that Silver and I are spending a lot of time together, and we've just been busy," said Tikal. She really felt like she had let Rouge down. "Would you rather I spent some time with you?"

"Sure. That'd be nice. On your next free day, we'll hang out like old times, but only if you and Silver don't have anything planned. Don't go breaking up your date over me," said Rouge. "Silver's a keeper."

"Hang on, I got a call waiting," said Tikal.

Rouge was put on hold. After about thirty seconds, Tikal came back on the line.

"Sorry, it's Silver. I'd better take it."

"Oh, okay."

"I'll try to get rid of him and come back to talk to you," said Tikal.

"Don't rush yourself."

"Okay, bye, Rouge."

(click)

Rouge looked through her cell phone for someone else to call. She highlighted Amy's name. Perhaps she'll still be awake.

Ring.

"Hello," said a cheery voice.

"Hey, Amy!"

"Oh, hey Rouge."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just brushing my quills. What are you doing?"

"Absolutely nothing. That's why I called."

"Hang on a sec. I got a call waiting," said Amy.

She clicked over. Rouge was again. She sighed, tired of being on hold. After about a minute, Amy switched back over.

"Now, where were we?"

"Was that Sonic?"

"No, it's me," said a light voice. Rouge knew that it could only belong to one person.

"Hey, Cream," said Rouge. "Are you ready for your date with Sonic's little brother?"

"Hello, Rouge. I guess I am. I mean, this is my real first date, and I hope I do okay."

"You'll do fine. Just remember that he's a guy; so he'll probably say or do a few stupid things to try to impress you. I love it when guys do that," said Amy.

"Amy, aren't you going with Sonic to homecoming?" asked Rouge.

"No. He's going with Sally."

"I'm sorry," said Cream.

"Don't be. I'm sure that she just talked him into it, but I'm not going alone," said Amy.

"Who are you going with then?" asked Rouge.

"You'll just have to wait and see him tomorrow night," said Amy with a small laugh.

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_This chapter was kinda crappy, I know, but please review anyway. The next one will be much better. I promise. It's homecoming. Of course it'll be exciting._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	8. Homecoming

_I expect a lot of reviews after this chapter is done being written. Thanks for the reviews so far. 41! OMG. I can't believe that. I've never gotten that many before. This is a special thank you to my readers. Without you, there's no Icy Knuckles._

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_Homecoming Game…_

Tonight was the night. It was finally homecoming night. After a huge pep rally at school, the football team was pumped. Following tradition, the senior class won the spirit stick like every year. At the homecoming pep rally, special recognition was given to Shadow, Knuckles, and Sonic, the three senior star athletes on the team. They had a big responsibility tonight because if a team wins one game the whole year, they must win their homecoming game.

The stands were packed tonight. Homecoming was always the biggest game of the year. For some reason, students had the most school spirit that night. The home side was a sea of blue and grey. The cheerleaders and dance team took their respective positions on the sidelines of the football field.

This game would not be easily won. Their opponents were the Mushroom Kingdom Fireballs, wearing red and black jerseys with an M on the red helmets. The school they attended were so well funded athletically that their jerseys had their names on them. These guys were undefeated thus far. Just last week, they crushed the Cobras 63-0. They emerged from their chartered bus with fire in their eyes. Their team consisted of two sets of brothers, a giant monkey, some creatures known as koopas, which looked like turtles with yellow heads and colorful shells, a green dinosaur, and other various assortments of creatures. The coach was some old geezer who wore a mushroom for a hat. Although he was up in years, people knew what he was capable of. His years of experience made him a worthy coach. Even Coach Vector respected him. Just by seeing their warm-up, the Tornado fans knew that this game would not be easily won. They performed their warm-up drills flawlessly.

Despite going up against these odds, the Tornados were ready for whatever. Inside the locker room, Coach Vector was giving a speech. He had also been dreading this game.

"Alright, boys. This game is the most important one of your lifetime, especially for the seniors. Do you want to graduate knowing that you lost your homecoming game?

"No, Coach!" said the senior players.

"Do you want to roll over and let these Fireballs piss on you?"

"No, Coach!" said all the players.

"Are you players or pussies?"

"Players, Coach!!!"

"Well, show me something."

All the guys got up and did a victory salute. They all gathered around Coach Vector and held up their helmets.

"Tornados on three. 1, 2, 3."

"Tornados!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The guys were now pepped up. They were ready to kick some Fireball ass.

The cheerleaders held up a giant piece of white paper with the words 'Tornados blow hard' written on it. Shadow led the charge as they busted through the paper and ran onto the field. As they approached the field after the Fireballs finished their warm-up, the crowd could tell that the Tornados were not going to be intimidated. They cheered loudly and showed their support for their team. They warmed up with excellence and skill never shown before.

After a great warm-up, the teams took to the field. The Fireballs had the first ball. The Tornados' kicker kicked the ball off. It was returned a great distance. The Fireballs had excellent block and fast runners. They managed to make it to the 45 yard line before being tackled.

The quarterback was a tall, skinny guy with a huge nose. His jersey read "Waluigi." On first down, the ball was handed to the half back, Mario. He ran the ball to the other 45 yard line before being tackled by Knuckles. On the next play, Waluigi threw the ball. Knuckles was supposed to blitz the quarterback, but the offensive line was so powerful that he could not get through in time to sack him, giving him ample time to find the open receiver. It was mostly because of the center, Wario, that he could not get through. Waluigi threw a perfect spiral to his wide receiver, a green dinosaur named Yoshi. Yoshi caught the ball with ease because someone missed their coverage assignment. Yoshi was able to get into the red zone before being tackled at the 20 yard line. Despite all this punishment, the drive ended with a field goal, making the score 0-3.

It was now the Tornado's ball. Sonic returned the ball for a 32 yard return. Shadow and the offense took the field. Their defensive line was huge. It easily oversized the Tornados' offensive line. The first play was a run. Sonic got leveled at the line of scrimmage by a monkey whose jersey read 'Donkey Kong' for a no gain. On the next play, Shadow called a pass play. The ball was snapped, and Shadow looked for an open receiver. As he searched, a defensive lineman for the Mushrooms broke through the offensive line. Before Shadow could get rid of the ball, he was leveled by a koopa with spikes on its green shell for a loss of five yards.

"What the hell? Will you please grow some balls and block that guy?" yelled Shadow as he got up from the ground. "Big, it's your job to use your huge ass to block the guys that try to hit me!!!!!"

On the next play, Shadow threw the ball to the tight end. He only got seven yards before being clobbered by Donkey Kong. In the end, the Tornados were forced to punt the ball.

This time on the third play, Waluigi threw the ball to down the field to Yoshi. Yoshi's speed allowed him to pass the defenders and catch the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. After the field goal, the score was 0-10.

The first quarter ended with the score 0-10. No one else scored a run.

At the start of the second quarter, it was the Tornados' ball. They had managed to make it to the 45 yard line in the Fireball's territory. It was third down. Shadow tossed the football down the field. Silver met the pass for a completion. He managed to pick up a few more yards before being tackled by "Hammer". Silver was stopped at the 13 yard line. On the next play, Shadow pitched the ball to Sonic. Sonic managed to get three yards before being tackled again by Donkey Kong. Then, Sonic did something that he hadn't done all season. He fumbled the ball. A koopa with wings picked up the ball and started running back towards their touchdown line. Shadow quickly caught up to him and tackled him at the 39 yard line. Then, the defense returned to the field.

Knuckles and his defense were back on the field. A few substitutions had to be made in order to make a better defensive match-up. It was a better match-up than before, but it was still not enough to completely stop the offense. The defense did manage to stop them, however, and forced them to punt the ball.

On the first drive, Sonic ran the ball for a 20 yard gain. Now, the ball was at midfield. On this play, Shadow couldn't find any open receivers; so he scrambled ten yards before being tackled. On the next play, Shadow threw the ball to Silver. Unfortunately, the defensive back guarding Silver, Luigi, read the pass. He intercepted the pass and ran the ball the other way. He almost ran it all the way back, but he was caught by Sonic and tackled at the 17 yard line. The Fireballs kicked a field goal to end the half. At the end of the half, the score was 0-13.

The cheerleaders and dance team took over. They performed their half-time show while the players rested inside the locker room.

Coach Vector took a deep breath.

"Okay. I know that they seem unbeatable now, but it's not over yet. We still have a whole half left to play. Now, the first thing we need to do is to tighten up the defense; so I'm making changes. Some of you are going to have to play both ways. Sonic, that dinosaur wide receiver is kicking Espio's ass."

The team started to laugh.

"I know that you're not used to playing with the defense, but your team needs you. I need you to cover him. That's all I'm asking."

Sonic nodded in understanding.

"Silver, I'm moving you to free safety, and Shadow will play defensive back on the left side of the field. Espio, I'm moving you to strong safety."

He turned to Knuckles.

"Knuckles, I'm moving you to offense. We need a tight end to block for Shadow. If that spiked lineman gets through the line again, I'll grow some hair and pull it out."

Then, he addressed the team as a whole.

"Now, guys, we've had a pretty good season this far. We've come all this way, and we will not stop now. We WILL emerge victorious from this game because we're the Tornados. We blow our opponents away. I want you all to make them remember forever the night they played the Tornados."

"We're going to win this one for you, Coach!!!!" said a gray wolf.

"Yeahhhh!!!" yelled the team.

They all grouped up and did their game chant.

At the start of the second quarter, it was the Tornados' ball. Sonic returned the ball. He juked two defenders before being driven out of bounds at the 32 yard line. On the first play, Shadow pitched the ball to Sonic. Sonic ran the ball to the right this time. He saw Donkey Kong headed right for him. As soon as he was about to be hit, Knuckles pushed Donkey Kong out of the way and cleared the way for Sonic. He ran through the next guy and juked the one after him. He was brought down at the 30 yard line in the Fireball's territory. On the next play, Shadow threw the ball into the end zone. Once again, Luigi read the play. As he headed for the end zone, Silver saw him coming. He also saw the ball coming. Then, Silver did an incredible feat. Silver jumped high in the air. He jumped so high that Luigi almost fell over as Silver jumped over Luigi's head.

"Touchdown, Tornados!!!!"

The cheerleaders and dance team did a routine as the band played. Tikal was especially happy that her man had scored the first touchdown.

After the field goal, it was 7-13. Now, it was the Fireballs' ball. On the kickoff, Yoshi ran the ball all the way to the 49 yard line before being brought down. When the ball was snapped, Waluigi drew back. While he was looking for a receiver, he didn't notice that Knuckles was coming right for him. Knuckles hit Waluigi with such force that his helmet came off. Knuckles then stood right next to him and took out his mouthpiece.

"You better get real comfortable down there," said Knuckles before running back to the huddle. Waluigi was slow to get up.

On the next play, Waluigi pitched the ball to Mario. Again, Knuckles found his way around the linemen. He came into contact with Mario after a gain of one yard. As Knuckles was hitting Mario, he heard something tear.

Mario screamed in pain. His leg was stretched out. The paramedics rushed to the field. After a few minutes of treating the injury, the paramedics rushed Mario off the field on a stretcher. Later, it was concluded that Mario had a torn ACL. He would be out for the rest of the season. Knuckles had just put Mario on crutches for a year.

With Mario gone, the offense would certainly be easier to stop, and it was. The Tornados' defense stopped them from gaining another yard. On 3rd down, Waluigi threw the ball since the other half backs were not capable of running the ball. He threw the ball down the right side to a blue-shelled koopa. The koopa jumped high, but not high enough because Shadow happened to be close enough to intercept the ball. As Shadow was running the ball back, he was mauled by three defenders at once.

"Shadow, hold on to that ball!!" yelled Coach Vector from the sidelines.

As the defenders got off of Shadow, he was still holding onto the ball. The crowd cheered loudly at the fact that they were still in this game, but they didn't know how much longer they could hold out. There was 10 seconds left on the clock and it was the 4th quarter. The Tornados had enough time for about one last play if executed correctly.

The Tornados rushed to the field for one last play. The fire in their eyes could burn water.

"Hike!"

The center snapped the ball. Shadow did a very short pass to Sonic. He and Knuckles quickly ran over to cover Sonic as he ran the ball down the sideline. Sonic started running. He ran very fast and had excellent blocking from Shadow and Knuckles. Shadow hit Donkey Kong and stopped him from chasing Sonic. Now, it was only Knuckles covering for Sonic. Another defender came up, but Knuckles easily knocked him out of the way. After that, two more defenders came up. Knuckles dived at both defenders. He managed to stop both of them, but now Sonic had no block. That was okay because it was now a clear run. He ran to the 30, the 20, the 10. Touchdown! That tied the game up, and the field goal after it was good.

Tornados win 14-13.

The entire team went to the field and lifted Sonic above the rest. He had just saved tradition and gave the Fireballs their first loss of the season. Coach Vector shook hands with the Fireballs' coach. It was a sign of mutual respect.

Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and Silver had run from the stadium to the field house. They had to change back into their normal clothes. Rouge, Amy, and Tikal also had to change back into their normal clothes. Since the homecoming dance didn't start for another hour, they all had about an hour to go back home and get dressed. No one really showed up on time to anything except nerds and social outcasts.

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The first thing Knuckles did when he got home was shower. He set the showerhead to massage and let his troubles go down the drain. The game had made him and the other players extra sweaty because they played their hearts out tonight. Homecoming and championship games are the two times that players have to play their best.

After about thirty minutes, he emerged from the shower, smelling fresh. He put on his red Sean John shirt and a pair of black jeans. He wore his red Air Jordans with the black outlining as well. After he was dressed, he sprayed some 'Unforgivable' cologne on his shirt. Knuckles was ready. He grabbed himself a bottle of water and exited the house.

He went outside to his car after turning out the lights in the house. He got in his car and pulled off, barely missing the mailbox. Silver was supposed to be riding with Tikal because Rouge was going to let Tikal use her car for tonight so that they could have some privacy. Knuckles would be picking up Rouge. He remembered where Rouge said that she lived; although, he had never been to her house before.

Knuckles was stunned by the size of the house that Rouge had. It was only a few rooms short of being classified as a mansion. There was a small fountain in the yard, and the garage looked like it could hold 10 cars.

Knuckles blew the horn. He saw the lights on the inside shut off as Rouge came closer to the door. As soon as she came out, Knuckles' heart stopped. Her red top was cut very low, showing off just the right amount of cleavage, and her bottom was a short, jean shirt. Knuckles could only stare as she came around to get in the car.

"Hey, Knuckie!" she greeted.

"Damn!" he said.

Rouge giggled. "You look great as well."

Knuckles pushed his seat back and took off. Rouge applied her lip gloss. She was sure that Knuckles would taste her lips before the night was through.

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_The Dance…_

Knuckles and Rouge arrived at 9:34 P.M. When they went in, they saw that many students had arrived, including Sonic and Sally. The decorations were nice, although a little casual. It was really prom when everything was top-notch. Homecoming was just another school dance. The dance was being held in the gym under the dim lights, which really help set the mood.

The first couple that they saw was Tails and Cream. Tails had on a white polo vest and some Dickies. Cream had on a black top and a white polka-dotted dress with red dots. Knuckles and Rouge decided to go over and speak with them first.

"Hey, Tails. How are you?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm fine. I'm just enjoying my first high school homecoming," he replied.

"Where's Sonic?" Knuckles asked.

"He's over there with Sally and her friends," said Tails, pointing over to where Sonic could be found.

Whilst Knuckles talked to Tails, Rouge talked to Cream.

"My, my. You two certainly make an adorable couple," said Rouge.

"Really? Thanks, Rouge," said Cream. She looked over at Tails and blushed.

"Have you seen Amy?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have. She's over there by the punch bowl with some guy," replied Cream.

"Oh? What's his name and how does he look?" said Rouge with interest.

"See for yourself. She's right over there," said Cream, pointing at the table with the food.

Rouge turned to Knuckles.

"Hey, babe, I'm about to go over and holler at my girl, Amy," said Rouge.

"Okay, and I'll go holler at Sonic," replied Knuckles.

Knuckles walked across the floor over to where Sonic was. He was standing around with Sally, her friends, and their dates. Mina was with Shadow, and Julie-Su was with some brown bat. He looked like the bat version of Knuckles physically. Knuckles noticed this, but decided not to say anything.

"Hey, Sonic. What's up?" asked Knuckles.

"It's okay," said Sonic. "It's just missing something."

"Oh? And what's that?" asked Knuckles.

"Hey, Knux. You look nice," said Sally.

"Thanks a lot"

"I believe that you know Mina, Julie-Su, and Shadow, but this guy here is Angelo the Bat."

Angelo just gave Knuckles a weird look and put an arm around Julie-Su.

"Did Rouge stand you up?" asked Julie-Su. "I bet that you wish that you hadn't turned this down, don't you?" mocked Julie-Su.

"For your information, Rouge is over there with Amy," said Knuckles.

"Why don't you go over there with her?" said Angelo, tightening the grip on Julie-Su. Julie-Su just smirked at the whole thing.

Knuckles, on the other hand, was not smiling. He was trying his best to hold in his comments. Already, he did not like Angelo.

"I'll talk to you later, Sonic," said Knuckles. He walked off back over to where Rouge was.

Rouge and Amy were laughing and talking as Knuckles walked over to them. Right away, he noticed the suave hedgehog that Amy was with. He was a green hedgehog that bared a striking resemblance to Sonic except he was green. He wore a black leather jacket with flames on the sleeves.

"Hi, Knuckles. This is my date, Scourge the Hedgehog," said Amy.

"What's up, brah," said Scourge.

"How's it going," replied Knuckles.

"He's an old friend of mine from Westpoint High," said Amy.

Suddenly, the DJ switched songs. A techno beat started to play. A lot of students went to the dance floor.

"That's my song. Let's go, Knuckles," said Rouge, dragging Knuckles to the dance floor. Knuckles and Rouge started to dance, doing a variety of moves. Rouge, of course, was a good dancer, and Knuckles had pretty sweet moves, too. Suddenly, Amy and Scourge hit the dance floor. After that, Tails, Cream, Sonic, Sally, Shadow, Mina, Julie-Su, and Angelo came to the floor. Silver and Tikal arrived just as the song was starting. They joined in, too.

"You're a pretty good dancer," said Rouge. "How'd you get so good?"

"Well, I just figured that if my girlfriend is such a good dancer, then I should be, too," said Knuckles, bringing Rouge's body against his own.

"Girlfriend?"

"Yes," said Knuckles, slowly. "Is that a problem?"

Rouge turned to Knuckles and gave him a light peck on the lips. "No problem at all."

Julie-Su saw the kiss and immediately turned green with envy. She motioned Angelo with her eyes to move near Rouge. He and Julie-Su continued to dance until he hit Rouge with his shoulder, causing her to fall to the floor.

Knuckles immediately dropped to her side. He squatted down by where she had fallen and lifted her over to a table. Her mouth was bleeding badly. Amy, Tikal, and Cream were immediately there trying to see what had happened. A lot of students turned to look.

"Oops! Clumsy me," said Angelo.

Knuckles looked over at Angelo with disgust. That really ticked him off.

"Clumsy, my ass. You hit her on purpose." He then turned to Julie-Su. She was actually quivering as he came over. "I really thought that you'd behave better than that, but I guess that I was wrong. I admired you once upon a time, but now I just see a bitch. You may want me, but I'm not yours. I'm Rouge's.

Suddenly, Knuckles was caught off guard by a push. Knuckles wasn't surprised when he saw who pushed him.

"She doesn't want you. She's got me," said Angelo.

"You know that you just fucked up, right," said Shadow.

"Huh?" Angelo was confused.

He turned to see Knuckles looking at him. He didn't look too happy.

"Outside. You made my girl bleed, and now, I'm going to make you bleed."

Knuckles stormed out of the gym and headed for the back parking lot. Angelo and several others followed him, including Sally, Mina, Julie-Su, and their dates, but enough did not go to arouse a teacher's suspicions. Tikal, Amy, and Cream stayed with Rouge. Rouge had gone to the bathroom to stop the bleeding.

In the back parking lot, Knuckles had finally stopped walking. He turned around only to be caught off guard by a left hook from Angelo. Knuckles stumbled a few feet back. Knuckles blocked the next hit with his left hand and countered with a right hook that Angelo didn't find too pleasant. The immediate hit struck blood. Angelo's mouth was now bleeding. The barbs on Knuckles' knuckles stung. Angelo held his jaw for a second before charging back at Knuckles. He tackled Knuckles to the ground and began work on his head. Knuckles tried blocking punches, but Angelo was quick with his hands and was landing a lot of blows.

Meanwhile, a group had formed around the two fighting adolescents.

Sonic was about to go out there, but Shadow grabbed his arm.

"Let me go out and help him," pleaded Sonic.

"Knuckles can handle himself. He's not about to lose," said Shadow with Mina on his other arm.

Scourge was enjoying the brawl. He loved watching fights almost as much as fighting in them. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a certain female chipmunk. She suddenly saw him looking at her and winked at him. While Sonic was busy paying attention to Knuckles, Scourge slipped over to where Sally was.

"Hi!"

"Hi"

"My name is Scourge the Hedgehog."

"I'm Sally," she giggled.

Scourge and Sally slipped away without anyone noticing.

Knuckles and Angelo were still going at it. Knuckles had managed to push Angelo off of him. He quickly got up and swung at Angelo. It was a direct hit. Knuckles punched him directly in the nose. Angelo held his nose in pain. Knuckles then began to throw some body blows at him. They were rapid punches. Angelo bent over in pain. Knuckles struck him in the back of the head, which caused him to fall to the ground. Then, Knuckles began to stomp the shit out of him. His head, his back, his wings, and his arms were all being stepped on by an angry Knuckles. After a while, Knuckles stopped. Angelo was down for the count.

"Let that be a lesson to you. Never fuck with my girl!!!!" growled Knuckles.

Angelo groaned in pain as Knuckles kicked him one final time. He was lying on his stomach with a hand on his stomach. Knuckles walked back through the crowd. He stopped at Julie-Su and gave her a look. Then, he went back inside. Julie-Su ran over to her fallen Angelo.

"I told you he'd win. Nobody beats Knuckles," said Shadow.

Sonic sighed. Then, he looked around for Sally, but saw no one. Scourge was gone also. Sonic was baffled. He started searching for Sally. First, he searched in the gym, but found nothing. Then, he went out to the front parking lot. Sure enough, Sally was there, but it wasn't quite the way Sonic had hoped to find her. She and Scourge were lip-locked against Scourge's Phantom. Scourge had one of her legs up to his waist. Sonic said nothing. He just got up and left.

Back inside, Rouge was sitting with Tikal, Amy, and Cream. Tails, Silver, and Knuckles approached the table.

"I think that I can look after her now," said Knuckles.

The other three girls understood. They simply got up, grabbed their dates, and continued enjoying their homecoming. Knuckles and Rouge were left alone.

"How are you doing?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm fine now that you're back," she said with a smile. She saw that Knuckles had a blood stain on his shirt. "There's a stain on your shirt. We better get that out."

"It's only a little blood. Besides, I'm wearing a red shirt," said Knuckles.

"I don't care. We're getting rid of this right now." Rouge pulled Knuckles into the girls' bathroom. Luckily, no one was in there or seen them go in.

"Now, take off your shirt," instructed Rouge.

Knuckles pulled off his shirt to show his awesome chest. Rouge quickly smiled.

"Where'd you get those?" she asked, rubbing his chest.

Knuckles made his chest jump while Rouge had her hand on it. "Football mostly, but I also undergo personal training as well. Why? Do you like what you see?"

"I love them, baby."

Rouge took the shirt and began washing. As she was washing the stain out, Knuckles came up from behind and placed his hands around her waist.

"Knuckles, (giggles) stop. I'm getting water everywhere."

Knuckles lowered his arms.

"Why'd you stop?"

Back in the gym, Amy was sitting at a table and drinking some punch. She never noticed Sonic until he sat down at the table with her.

"Hey, Sonic!" she said.

"Oh, hey Ames," he replied.

Amy could tell that Sonic had something on his mind. He hadn't even noticed that she was there until she had spoken up. Now, he was just sitting there, looking crushed. Amy looked out onto the floor. Tails and Cream were still dancing, but Tikal and Silver were sitting down at another table.

"What's the matter, Sonic?" asked Amy.

Sonic turned to her.

"Trust me, you don't want to know what I have to say."

"I can handle it just fine. Tell me," said Amy.

"Well, I just saw Scourge making out with another girl……..Sally."

"Is that all?" asked Amy.

Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean 'Is that all?'" asked Sonic.

"I thought it was something that would devastate me. Scourge wasn't my type anyway. He was way too cocky. I can handle your level of cockiness, but he was just too full of himself for my taste. I just needed a date for homecoming; so I asked him. That's all."

Sonic remained silent for a moment. Amy just then realized who Sonic said he was kissing

"Oh, I'm sorry about Sally," said Amy.

"Don't be. I was going to dump her sooner or later," he said. "The truth is, Sally isn't really my type either. I prefer someone who doesn't let popularity go to her head."

He looked at Amy and smiled. She smiled back.

Suddenly, the DJ switched songs. "Sweet Dreams" came on the speakers.

"Would you like to dance?" asked Sonic.

"I'd love to," said Amy.

Sonic extended his hand, and Amy gladly took it. They got into the middle of the floor and did their thing. Sonic held Amy close, cherishing every moment. Amy smelled his quills a few times. They smelled like hair gel, but to Amy, it was like a dream. Sonic and Amy slow-danced in their own little world. They had forgotten all about the fact that they were at their school. Being together just felt so right.

Silver and Tikal were slow-dancing across from them. They smiled.

"It's about time," said Silver.

"You said it," said Tikal.

Silver gave Tikal a kiss.

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Now came the time that they were all waiting for. Knuckles and Rouge had come from the bathroom, and Scourge and Sally came back inside. Julie-Su and Angelo had left after Angelo's defeat at the hands of Knuckles.

The principal walked up to the stage.

"Can I have your attention please?"

The music suddenly stopped and the student body was silent.

"We would now like to crown our homecoming king and queen, but before we do, we'd like to recognize the runner-ups."

The principal tore open an envelope.

"Runner-ups for homecoming king and queen are……………………………………………………Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat."

The students cheered as Knuckles and Rouge went onto the stage and took a bow. The principal then opened the other envelope.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Your homecoming king and queen are………………………………………….. Sonic the Hedgehog and Sally Acorn!!!!!!!!"

The crowd cheered even louder.

"Sonic, that's you. Go on. It's okay," said Amy.

"You'll always be my homecoming queen," said Sonic.

Sonic left Amy and went to the stage to stand next to Sally. He received his crown and Sally got her tiara. Now, it was time for the king and queen to dance. The song was "Everytime We Touch".

Sonic and Sally had their dance. Amy watched from the sides. She really didn't care that Sonic and Sally were dancing. She knew that her Sonic was coming back to her.

As Sonic and Sally danced, Sally made her confession.

"Sonic, you're probably wondering where I disappeared to," she said.

"Not really. I knew where you were," said Sonic.

Sally felt a cold chill go down her spine.

"Really? You saw me?"

"Yeah. No biggie. I hope he makes you happy because I know that Amy and I are going to be happy," said Sonic.

Sally was taken by his words. Sonic wasn't even heartbroken, but glad that she cheated on him because that gave him an excuse to talk to Amy.

The song ended and Sonic rushed back to Amy.

"Miss me?" he asked.

"Only a lot," she replied.

Another slow song came on the speakers, and the young couples danced the night away.

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After the dance, Sonic took Amy home. She rode shotgun, while Tails and Cream sat in the back. There wasn't much said on the ride home. Enough was shown at the dance.

"Turn here," said Amy.

Sonic turned and pulled up in Amy's yard. Amy stayed in a townhouse on the north side of town. Sonic and Amy both got out and Sonic walked Amy to the door.

"I had a great time tonight," said Amy.

"It was only great for me because you were there with me," said Sonic.

Amy searched her purse for her keys. After finding them, she spoke again to Sonic.

"Where does this leave us?" asked Amy.

Sonic grabbed the side of her face and brought it to his for a kiss. It was one of those first-time kisses. It was one that has a lot of passion and feeling. Sonic savored the moment with Amy.

Back in the car, Tails and Cream were watching.

"He's kissing Amy!!" exclaimed Tails.

"Yeah, isn't it romantic?" said Cream. She reached out and placed her hand on Tails.

Tails heart rate sped up, and he blushed.

"Y-yeah! I guess so," said Tails.

Cream reached over and gave Tails a nice kiss on the cheek.

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Knuckles and Rouge were enjoying a quiet ride home. Knuckles finally turned into Rouge's driveway.

"Thanks for a wonderful time," said Rouge, "and thanks for kicking that guy's ass for me."

"He deserved it. No one messes with my girl," said Knuckles.

Rouge giggled. Then, she and Knuckles started to make out. It was serious too. There was tongue, earlobe, and neck involved. Rouge would certainly have a hickey tomorrow.

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Shadow and Mina had plenty of fun after the dance. He ran all over town at high speeds on his motorcycle, much to Mina's enjoyment. After that, Shadow had brought her back to his place.

When they walked in, Shadow signaled for her to get comfortable on the couch. Shadow went to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of beers. He went into the living room and gave her one.

"I really enjoyed you tonight, Shadow," said Mina.

"The night's not over yet," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Shadow reached over and pulled Mina into a kiss. Mina was caught by surprise, but she suddenly started to get into it. Then, Shadow asked for entrance into her mouth with his tongue. Mina opened up and gladly met him with her own tongue. After a few minutes of kissing, Shadow reached up Mina's shirt and started unhooking her bra. Mina pulled away.

"Shadow, I think that we are moving a little too fast," said Mina.

"I promise that I'll be gentle. I won't do anything to hurt you," said Shadow.

Mina was still unsure. Something in her mind told her to get up and go, and she really meant to say no, but what came out was:

"Okay, if you promise not to hurt me," she said.

Shadow stuck his tongue back into her mouth and carried her to the bedroom and began to undress her. First, he removed her top and threw it on the floor. After that, he removed her bottoms. Now, she was laying there in her bra and panties. Shadow had removed his pants and shirt, and was now standing there in his boxers and a muscle shirt while Mina lay on the bed. Shadow just looked at her staring back at him. She looked so beautiful and innocent laying there. Shadow had to think for a moment. Could he really take her innocence away from her? Could he just imagine that she was just another girl and do what he has done to so many other girls before her? More importantly, why was he having second thoughts? He never had second thoughts before. Was she getting to him? Did he have feelings for her? Did he want to respect her and wait until she was ready, not dupe her like he was doing?

Shadow shook these thoughts out of his head and continued with what he was doing.

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_I have to stop there or else it will turn into a lemon, and I can't have a lemon in a rated T story. Sorry! I enjoyed writing this chapter. Did you enjoy reading the chapter? I hope so. Tell me all about it in the review._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	9. Rainy Dayz

_Well, the next chapter is finally here. Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy._

_Also, I'd like to say that this chapter is going to have a lot of drama in it and unexpected happenings. I'm sure you'll like this chapter. Why am I telling you about it? Read and find out._

_P.S. I just love the rain!!!! It makes me feel so relaxed and sleepy._

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It's been a month and a half since homecoming. Homecoming was a day to be remembered, especially for Shadow. It was funny, though, because something in the back of his mind was hunting him. It was Mina. He hadn't heard from her for weeks. After homecoming, they continued to talk at home and on the phone until last week when the phone calls stopped, and Mina stopped coming to school.

No one knew where she was, not even her best friends, Sally and Julie-Su. They claimed that Mina refused to accept any of their phone calls or return any of their text messages. Julie-Su did, however receive one text from Mina. It said to leave her alone because she needed some time to herself. That was one week ago. No one has heard from her since.

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It was the middle of December. This was right before the Christmas holiday break. Shadow sat on his couch at home in a muscle shirt and some shorts. He really hadn't done much today, but watch TV and play Saints Row on his Xbox 360. Since homecoming, he really hadn't been talking to any girls. Remembering the expression on Mina's face as they were doing IT made him realize that he was a monster. She really didn't want to go that far, but he really just forced it on her. He also realized that it was not right to treat females the way he treated them. They were people, just like he was; although lately, he hasn't felt like a person. Shadow started to think about dogs and how they just go around humping any other dog they saw. He felt like a dog. Now that Mina was missing, he felt like he was responsible for it.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

There came a knock at his door. Shadow got up from the couch and answered it. Standing there were Julie-Su and Sally.

"What do you want?" asked Shadow without saying 'Hi'.

"Can we come in?" asked Sally.

"Why?" he asked.

"We need to talk," said Julie-Su.

"What for? You two know that you don't like me," said Shadow.

"You're wrong, Shadow. We may not be too fond of Amy, Rouge, and their friends, but we have no problem with you," said Sally.

Shadow remained silent for a moment, deciding whether or not to let them in.

"Damn it, Shadow. Will you hurry up? It's cold out here," said Julie-Su.

Shadow opened the door wide and moved out of the way so that Sally and Julie-Su could get in. Once inside, they followed Shadow to the living room. He had all his lights off. The only light in his house was his TV screen. Sally and Julie-Su sat on the couch while Shadow grabbed himself a seat on the arm of a chair.

"Can I get you girls anything? A drink? Some water? A glamour magazine?" asked Shadow.

"Shadow, this is serious. It's about Mina," said Julie-Su.

This caught Shadow's attention. "So you mean that you didn't come here just to get laid?"

"Shadow, we wouldn't dare be caught with our legs open around you. We have too much class for that." Sally crossed her legs.

Shadow half-laughed, half-spoke. "I'm sure you do."

"Get serious. This is no laughing matter. We're worried about Mina," said Julie-Su.

"As you may already know, she hasn't been herself lately. She's been acting funny ever since homecoming. She was YOUR date. Would you mind telling us what you did to her that night?" said Sally.

"That's none of your business, your highness," said Shadow, mocking the fact that she was homecoming queen. The truth of the matter was that Sally still wore her tiara around everywhere. She bragged hard on herself.

"Very funny. Listen, you did something to Mina that night. Whether you made her one of your sex toys or hit her, you changed her. I think that you should go talk to her," said Sally.

"You're her best friends. Why don't you two go talk to her?" asked Shadow.

"You don't think we tried? We've been to her house, left her messages, called her, and e-mailed her, but we can't get an answer from her," explained Julie-Su.

"If you two can't reach her, what makes you think that I can?" asked Shadow.

"Because you're the one who caused her to zone out like this. Maybe, she'll tell YOU what you did to her," said Sally.

"I didn't do anything to her!!! She stopped calling me, too." Shadow was getting tired of them accusing him of hurting Mina. The crazy thing was that he believed them.

"Don't lie to us? We know that you talked her into fucking you, you dirty bastard. I wouldn't be surprised if you raped her!!!!"

That did it. Shadow had had enough.

"Get out! Get the fuck out of my house! You ain't got to go home, but you got to get the hell out of here," said Shadow.

Shadow had opened the door for them, but they remained seated.

"You can't throw us out," said Julie-Su.

"Wanna bet?"

In the next thirty seconds, Julie-Su and Sally found themselves standing outside of Shadow's house. He slammed the door in their faces. They turned to walk off.

"Jerk!" said Sally.

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Soon after Shadow kicked them out, he put on some warm clothes and left the house. He didn't take his motorcycle today, but walked into the city from the suburb where he lived. It was a very cloudy day. There wasn't a hint of sun anywhere. The clouds started getting darker as he headed farther into Station Square. It was cold enough to see your breath. That's why Shadow had on his hoody.

Station Square wasn't too busy today. Only a few cars were on the streets. There were a few people standing around in this cold weather. Shadow walked past them, not paying them much attention. The sounds of car horns and police sirens filled the air.

Shadow came upon Spanky's. He peeked into the window and found Tikal and Silver. Shadow checked his cell phone for the time. Obviously, Silver had come to spend Tikal's lunch break with her. They looked so happy together. It made Shadow think. All the girls he ever had weren't really special to him. When he looks in at Silver and Tikal, he sees the love he never had a chance to experience. True love. Shadow left from in front of the window.

"Hey, was that Shadow?" asked Tikal.

Silver got up and went outside to look, but found no one.

"I don't see him," said Silver.

"I could have sworn that he was there. Oh well…"

Shadow continued walking. He stopped for a second to get out some cigarettes from inside the pocket on his hoody. He pulled out the lighter, lit it up, and started blazing up. Since Shadow was 18, it was perfectly legal.

As Shadow enjoyed his cigarette, a hobo came up to him.

"Got any spare change?" he asked. The hobo was a very smelly orange hedgehog who looked about 55. His breath stunk of tequila. Still, Shadow reached into his pocket and pulled out 50 cents.

"Thank you, youngblood," said the hobo. "You're a very nice person.

Once the hobo received the money, he took off. Shadow felt like everything but a gentleman. He wondered about Mina and what was bothering her. He knew that it had to be something big to make her miss school and avoid her friends.

After Shadow finished smoking the cigarette, he continued to walk downtown. He passed a sales boutique and found Sonic and Amy inside shopping. Amy was busy trying on clothes, and Sonic was critiquing her taste. He started to think about Sonic's devotion and honor for Amy. Even though Amy is an underclassman and seniors don't usually date underclassmen, Sonic had chosen to date her. He opened his heart to her without even thinking about what his peers would say about his dating a sophomore. Shadow started to wonder if he could ever show that same kind of devotion to any girl. Shadow looked on them for about a minute before continuing his walk. Amy had caught a glimpse of a red and black figure as it passed the last window.

"Hey, Sonic. Wasn't that Shadow that just passed by the window?" asked Amy.

"I didn't see anyone. All my attention was on you," said Sonic with a smile.

"Oh, Sonic," said Amy, shaking her head at him.

Shadow turned the curb at the next intersection and began walking towards Midtown. As he walked, he smoked another cigarette. Shadow felt a small trace of water drop on his head. It was rain. He knew that it would soon be raining and that rain and cold air spelled trouble, but he continued on anyway.

Next, he passed Chez Pierre's. It was a fancy restaurant where the elite dined out at. Shadow passed by Chez Pierre's, but had to take a step back when he saw a glimpse of a white bat and a red echidna. Knuckles and Rouge had a corner booth in Chez Pierre's. Knuckles was having some escargot and Rouge had a Filet Mignon. It seems like Knuckles was spoiling Rouge rotten. As Shadow watched the two lovers, he started to think back on homecoming and how Knuckles defended Rouge from the brown bat that Julie-Su was dating. When he purposely bumped Rouge, he had made the biggest mistake of his life because Knuckles kicked his ass all over the parking lot. Shadow started to think back on all the girls he ever talked to. Not once had he ever stood up for them. Once, he even witnessed a guy slapping a girl, but he just sat back and watched. Now that he thought about that, he felt like a heel. Shadow couldn't bear seeing his friends as happy as they were. He left the window and continued his walk.

"Shadow?" said Knuckles.

"Did you say something, baby?" asked Rouge.

"I thought I saw Shadow looking in here," said Knuckles.

"He might be taking himself a walk or going to some girl's house," said Rouge.

"Maybe you're right."

Knuckles turned back to Rouge, and they continued their dining.

The sky suddenly sprung a small leak, and it started to drizzle. It wasn't much, but Shadow still put on his hood. He continued to walk around, thinking about his friends and their happiness. For a while, he was the happy one with all those girls, but now, seeing his friends and their happiness, he realized that he wasn't happy as happy as he thought. They were starting to fall in love, while he continued to fall in lust. Whenever he saw a girl, all he noticed was their ass and titties. Well, he was about to change all that.

As Shadow walked through Station Square, the rain started to pour harder. Shadow stood under a veranda for a while. There was no way for him to get home without getting wet enough to catch a cold and have kinky fur for days. He decided to wait for a cab. As he waited, Shadow lit up another cigarette. As he was lighting it, he was bumped from behind by a figure wearing a gray hoody. The bump made him drop his cigarette and his lighter. Shadow turned around as the figure looked up. Obviously, this person had been walking fast while looking down.

"I'm sorry. I…" Shadow and the person wearing the hoody met face to face. The person who bumped Shadow was a female, and Shadow recognized her. She recognized him too and took off running in the rain.

"Wait!" called out Shadow, but the figure kept moving. She was running as if she was running for her life. She looked back to see that Shadow was running after her. She turned forward and kept running. Soon, she did not see Shadow, so she took advantage of this moment and entered an abandoned house that had fallen in. She was dripping wet and panting hard.

"So why are you hiding from everyone, Mina?" asked Shadow.

Mina gasped as Shadow appeared from the back door of the house. He had taken off his hoody and was now in his white undershirt. Mina was too tired to keep running, but was almost tempted to do so anyway. In the end, she decided that it was time to face Shadow.

"Why are you following me?" asked Mina in a harsh tone.

"I've been worried about you," said Shadow. "We all have."

"That's a laugh. How can you say that you missed me?" said Mina.

"Because I do," said Shadow.

"Shadow, stop it with these games. You've had your one night stand with me. Now, leave me alone!!" Mina was practically yelling at him.

"Mina, I'm not playing games with you. I really care about you," said Shadow.

Shadow took a step closer to him.

"Stay away from me!" said Mina.

"Why are you being so harsh to me? What did I do to you?" asked Shadow.

"What did you do to me? You ruined my life! I should have listened to my friends, but I was too much in love with you then to listen!"

Mina looked outside at the pouring rain and scoffed.

"It's funny when I think about it. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always adored the rain. Now, I understand. Whenever something tragic happens in a city, it rains. The reason it rains is because the city's crying. That's how I feel. My aura is melancholy.

Shadow was still confused.

"What did I do to ruin your life?"

"Shadow, I'm pregnant!"

Silence.

Shadow really didn't know what to say at this point. This all came as a shock.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No, I just pulled that right out of my ass," said Mina, sarcastically. Her voice was cracking.

"Are you sure it's mine?" he asked.

"I'm sure. I've never slept with anyone else but you," said Mina, who was basically in tears.

"If it'll ruin your life, why don't you get an abortion?" asked Shadow.

"Because I'm pro-life. I could never take an innocent life away. It has every right to live as you and I do," said Mina. The tears were finally rolling down her face. "I'm keeping my child."

The sound of the rain increased as Mina was in tears. She ran over to Shadow and started beating on him. He let her do it, feeling guilty about the whole thing.

"WHY, SHADOW? WHY? I LOVED YOU. I WANTED YOU TO ALWAYS BE WITH ME. WHY DID YOU RUIN MY LIFE? WHY MUST I BECOME AN UNWED TEENAGE MOTHER WITH NO JOB? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

Mina finally got stopped and rested her head on Shadow's chest, bawling her eyes out. Shadow's undershirt then began to get wet. Shadow put his arm around her.

"It doesn't have to be this way," said Shadow.

Mina quickly got out of Shadow's embrace. As she did, her sleeves came up, revealing a row of scabs where blood had clotted.

"Mina, have you been cutting yourself?" asked Shadow.

Mina nodded. Shadow just sighed as a response.

"Mina, what the hell were you thinking?

"I was thinking about escaping the pain you caused. Then, I realized that the scars you inflicted upon me cut further than any knife ever could." Mina pulled her sleeves back down.

"Mina, I know that I've hurt you. I know that, but give me a chance to redeem myself. I don't want no child of mine growing up without a father to look up to. I'm not going out like that. I also don't want you cutting yourself anymore or trying other heinous acts. I'd be devastated if something happened to you."

"You don't mean that," said Mina, lowering her head.

Shadow put his hand on her chin and raised it up to his face. Then, he brought her in for a kiss. Her tear-stained face looked as beautiful as it did any day to him. He started to pull away, but was surprised when Mina pulled him deeper in than before. They kissed a good hot minute before they parted. Mina put her face on his chest again and started back crying.

"You said you'd never hurt me," said Mina.

"Never again will I hurt you. I promise. Looking at the girls I've been with, I realize that I may have hurt them as I hurt you, but never again. I couldn't bear to see you hurt again."

Mina smiled for the first time in a long time.

The rain had slowed down. It was back into a drizzle. Shadow and Mina decided to leave when all of a sudden, they were ambushed by a hobo. It was the same hobo that Shadow had given the change to. Shadow quickly threw his hands in front of Mina.

"Get out of my house," he said.

He looked at them and then remembered Shadow.

"Oh. It's only you, youngblood. I apologize for startling you."

"We were just waiting out the rain in here. We're sorry for breaking and entering, sir," said Mina.

"That's quite okay, miss since you're a friend of this nice man, here. He's one of a kind," said the hobo.

Mina looked over at Shadow. "Yes he is."

Shadow flagged down a cab. He and Mina got into the back seat. On the ride home, Shadow started to reminisce about his day. He started to think about how seeing his friends helped him to patch things up with Mina. They'd never know how much they helped him that rainy day or how much they helped him to better himself and finds deep within himself what it took to be a faithful person. Now that Mina was pregnant with his child, he really had to step up and become a man. Shadow had no fear of this because he knew that as long as Mina was by his side, he could do just about anything.

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_That wasn't too bad. I bet that was unexpected. I hope you had fun reading about it. Let me know if you did. Send a review._


	10. A Visit from Manic and Sonia

_Sorry it took me so long to update, but school interfered. I hate it when school keeps me away from my fanfiction obligations, but I'm out now for 2 weeks and ready to go to work._

_Here's the next chapter. Before I start, I'd like to say that I know that I haven't done a strictly Knux/Rouge story yet. There's a BIG possibility that I might do one in the future. Although I write my stories on many characters, Knuckles is my favorite; hence the name. The reason I write stories on many characters is because I like to 'do it big'._

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It's been a week since Shadow and Mina's little incident. The weather now was freezing cold. Snow was assuredly fixing to happen. The sun had not been seen all day, and the winds were beginning to howl.

Mina has told Sally and Julie-Su everything. As soon as she had, Sally and Julie-Su were congratulating her and wishing her luck.

"I just hope that the baby doesn't end up acting like its father," said Julie-Su.

"Yeah! One Shadow the Hedgehog is enough," added Sally.

"What are you going to name it?" asked Julie-Su.

Mina was taken by their interest in the baby. This was only her second month being pregnant and her friends already started planning out the future.

"I really don't have a name yet," said Mina modestly.

"I like the name, Sara," said Sally.

"Crystal is an even better name," said Julie-Su.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Shadow and I are going to name our baby together," said Mina.

"You ought to be glad that Shadow's still around. Most guys don't want anything to do with you after they impregnate you," said Sally.

"I know, but Shadow's not like that. He cares for me and lets me know it," said Mina. She sighed.

"Let's just hope he stays that way," said Julie-Su. "If he hurts you, let us know. We'll take care of him."

"Okay, (giggles) I'll be sure to do that."

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At Sonic's house, the fireplace was running, giving off a comfortable feeling of warmth. It was the type of warmth that felt like it was massaging your skin, but was not hot enough to make you sweat. We're talking about the perfect fireplace here.

Tails was not enjoying the fire, however. He had on his jacket and was inside the garage, doing heaven knows what.

Sonic and Amy were cuddled up on the couch under a quilt watching _Dawson's Creek._ Sonic was stretched out on the couch with Amy nuzzled up against him. After every romantic event, Amy would readjust herself to get more comfortable in his arms. Sonic bit her earlobe and whispered in her ear.

"_I love you, my sweet, pink rose."_

Amy giggled. Then, she turned her head around for a kiss. Just as they were in the midst of making out, a knock was heard at the door. Sonic tried to stick his tongue back in Amy's mouth, but Amy pulled away.

"I think that you better answer the door. I'll still be here when you get back," she told him.

Sonic got up from under the quilt and went to the door. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and some gray shorts. He opened the door to find a shivering bright rabbit standing there.

"Cream?"

"H-H-H-H-H-H-Hi, Sonic. M-M-M-M-May I c-c-c-c-c-c-c-come in?" asked the shivering rabbit.

Sonic opened the door wide and motioned for her to come in. Sonic looked outside to see that the weather had worsened. It was starting to get darker and darker, and the winds were howling. Also it was lightly snowing. Sonic closed the door and was thankful that he wasn't on the streets tonight.

Cream had walked inside. She was now standing in front of the fireplace, warming up. She took off her scarf and laid it on the arm of a chair. Sonic and Amy were a bit puzzled to her appearance.

"What brings you by?" asked Amy.

"I came by to visit with you, but no one was home; so I figured that you'd be over here," said Cream. She saw the blanket and _Dawson's Creek _playing on the television. "Am I bothering anything?"

"Oh no! We were just watching Amy's favorite TV show. That's all," said Sonic sarcastically.

"Sonic! Don't be rude," chastised Amy. "Cream, sit down. Did you walk over here?"

"Yes. It's quite a distance to walk," said Cream.

"Well, we're not going to let you walk back home. You sit down right there and get comfortable, and when the storm dies down, Sonic and I will take you home," Amy said.

"But-,"

"Is that okay with you, Sonic?"

Amy had that look in her eye that said 'nod and smile'. Sonic nodded and smiled.

"Good. Now, let's watch _Dawson's Creek."_

Before Sonic could make it back to couch with Amy, the doorbell rung again. Sonic reluctantly went over to answer it because he didn't want to hear Amy's lecture again. This time when he answered it, a bigger frown came on his face.

"What's up, Sonic," said Knuckles as he came into the house followed by Rouge, Tikal, and Silver. They all took off their coats and laid them on the coat rack.

"Come in," said Sonic.

Rouge and Tikal went over to where Amy and Cream were sitting down. They paid no attention to the quilt and sat down on top of it.

"Hey, Amy. Were you and Sonic in the middle of something special?" asked Tikal.

"Well, we sorta were," said Amy.

"Oh, well. You two got your whole lives to do those things. Right now, it's 'girl time'," said Rouge.

Sonic and Amy had the lights dimmed. Silver went over to the light switch and flipped it on.

Sonic was still standing at the door.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.

"Hey, Sonic. Are we still watching the Patriots and Colts play tonight?" asked Knuckles.

"We sure are supposed to watch that game tonight. I had totally forgotten. We can watch it in the den," said Sonic. He motioned for Knuckles and Silver to follow him.

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Cream had snuck away to the garage where she found Tails. He was working on an engine. Tails immediately jumped up when he heard the door slam behind him.

"Hey," said Tails in a lowered voice.

"Hey. What are you working on?" asked Cream, coming up to where Tails was positioned.

"It's a new prototype engine for an airplane that I want to build one day," he explained.

"I bet that it will be a great plane," said Cream.

"Thanks."

Tails hesitated for a moment before starting back to work on the engine. He peeked at Cream out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was shivering from the cold air. Even though there was a house of warm heat right next to her, she opted to stay right outside with him.

"You know what. I think that I'm done for the day. Why don't we go back inside and join the others."

Cream's face suddenly warmed up when Tails said that. Tails took her by the hand and led her back inside to the warmth of his house.

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Back inside, Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver were watching the game in the den on TV while Rouge, Amy, and Tikal were tuned in to soap operas.

"Didn't I tell you that she was cheating on him with that doctor?" said Rouge.

"She wouldn't have gotten caught if she had just locked the door," added Amy.

"What would you do if Knuckles cheated on you?" asked Tikal.

"Nothing. I know that he would never cheat on me. I'm too much of a prize for any man to take for granted," said Rouge.

"What about you, Amy?" asked Tikal.

"If Sonic cheated on me, I'd make him angry by hooking up with his worst enemy," said Amy.

"What would you do, Tikal?" asked Rouge.

"Well, first I'd tie Silver up for he couldn't scream. Then, I'd rape him for he could see what he could have had. After that, I'd chop off his genitals and force him to eat them," said Tikal with an evil grin on her face.

The room went silent. Rouge and Amy simply stared. Tikal blushed.

"Too nasty?"

They both nodded with startled expressions upon their faces.

Suddenly, there came another knock at the door. Tails and Cream were coming through the living room so Tails went to get the door. Tails opened the door and was instantly thrown into a giant hug from a taller, purple hedgehog.

"How's my baby brother?" asked the hedgehog.

Another green hedgehog came through the door. He was carrying some heavy bags. When he reached the inside of the house, he dropped all the bags.

"Sonia, can I get a little help here?" asked the green hedgehog.

Sonia let go of Tails and went outside to gather the rest of the things. After all the things were brought inside, Sonia closed the door behind her. She immediately noticed the four girls sitting in the living room who were staring at Sonia with confusion on their faces.

"Tails, what have you and Sonic been up to since we've been away at college?" asked Sonia.

"What does it look like?" said the green hedgehog next to Sonia sarcastically.

"Shut up, Manic," she snapped.

"Sonic, a little help here," called out Tails.

"What's going on out there?" asked Sonic, coming from the den with Knuckles and Silver behind. Sonic was awestruck to find his brother and sister standing in the living room.

"Hey, guys. When did you get here?" asked Sonic with glee.

"Sonic, why do you and Tails have four girls in this house? Don't tell me that you two are going to become pimps," said Sonia.

"Relax, sis. These are our girlfriends. The bat is Knuckles' girlfriend, the echidna is Silver's, the rabbit is Tails', and this lovely pink hedgehog over here is mine," said Sonic.

"I told you that they weren't going to become pimps," said Manic.

"I see. So Knuckles, you finally got over your crush on me?" asked Sonia.

Rouge's eyebrow arched.

"Yeah, I have. Rouge is the only girl for me," said Knuckles nervously.

Rouge giggled. She knew that she had Knuckles whipped.

"Sonia, stop teasing Knuckles. You're probably just jealous that you don't have a boyfriend for yourself," said Manic.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Right now, I'm going to unpack. When I get back, I want to have a little girl talk with you, Amy," said Sonia.

Sonia grabbed her bags and went upstairs. Manic did the same. They went into their old rooms and began to unpack. As they unpacked, Sonic came up and entered Manic's room.

"Hey, little bro. What you need?" asked Manic as he hung up his Linkin Park poster.

"How long are you two going to be here?" asked Sonic.

"Until after New Year's. Why?" asked Manic.

"I was just curious. That's all," lied Sonic.

"If you're worried about Sonia interfering with your relationship with Amy, forget about it. I'll make sure she doesn't get too nosy," said Manic.

"Thanks, bro," said Sonic.

"Hey, we're family, aren't we?"

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Sonia changed into her Sonic Underground clothes and came down the stairs. By that time, Sonic and Manic had also come back down the stairs. Knuckles was sitting in a chair with Rouge on the arm rest, Silver and Tikal were on the love seat, and Amy, Tails, and Cream were on the couch.

"Well, I guess that we had better get going before it gets too late," said Amy.

She and Cream got up and headed for the door. Little did they realize that not only had the wind been blowing, but also snow had begun to fall. Amy opened the door and a huge gust blew in her face. She looked outside and realized that a blizzard might be forming. She closed the door, which proved to be much harder than it should have been due to the windy weather.

"I don't think that it's a good idea to leave right now," said Amy.

"If we stay here, we might be snowed in for the night," said Tikal.

"If we go out there, we might not ever see another night," said Rouge. "It's a good idea to stay put here, even if we have to stay all night."

Rouge looked around the room and saw that the vote was unanimous. It wasn't any use trying to make it home in the blizzard and end up frozen popsicles.

"Well, if you're going to stay, you're going to have to pay your stay," said Sonia. "You can start by helping me prepare dinner. I brought enough for just my brothers, but I think that we can squeeze in 7 more people," said Sonia with a wink.

Sonia had stopped by the grocery store before coming home. She knew that Sonic didn't keep much food around the house because Sonic wasn't much of a cook and neither was Tails.

"We have to cook?" asked Tikal with a look of worry on her face.

"Tikal, Tikal, Tikal," began Sonia, "how do you expect to keep a man around if you don't cook for him. The way to a man's heart is his stomach; so you better learn how to please it," said Sonia.

"This is coming from a person who probably doesn't even know what a man is," said Manic. "Let me give you a hint, Sonia. It's one of those things that you can't get."

The guys started cracking up at Manic's comment. Sonia started turning red.

"Keep it up Manic and you're going to be wearing that chicken that we're making for dinner," she said.

Manic and the guys laughed all the way to the den, leaving the girls with Sonia in the kitchen.

"Okay, girls. Here are your assignments. Rouge, I want you to make the sweet potatoes, Amy, you assist me with the chicken, Cream, check the bags I brought in the house. One of them should have some cookie dough in them that I want you to use to bake us some cookies. Tikal, you're in charge of steaming the vegetables."

Everyone started running around the kitchen and grabbing their ingredients. Tikal was standing in front of some asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. She was completely lost. She turned around to see that Cream was rolling the cookie dough into a perfect shape, Rouge had the sweet potatoes boiling in the pot, and Amy and Sonia were seasoning the bird.

"First you have to boil some water in a pot," said Cream. She saw that Tikal was lost, and was trying her very best to help her friend.

Tikal grabbed the only pot that Sonic owned and began to fill it with water. Then, she put in on the stove and turned an eye on.

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Meanwhile in the den, the guys were cracking up laughing about things.

"Tikal's father is strict. I already know that he doesn't want me around his daughter, Tikal takes care of him. One day, I laid my coat on the couch and left the room. When I came back, he was going through my pockets. I wanted to tell him off, but he's big. He already doesn't like me. If I had said something, he might have kicked my ass," said Silver.

The guys continued laughing.

"You're alright, Silver. You're alright," said Manic.

"Did Sonic tell you about the time that he left Tails at Cream's house all night?" asked Knuckles.

"I was drunk!" said Sonic. "and if I recall, so were you. They had to drag your ass to your car."

All, but Knuckles cracked up laughing.

"How's college life?" asked Tails.

"College is great. There are girls everywhere at USW (University of Southern Westopolis). There are parties every Friday, and they aren't any boring high school parties. I'm talking about major beer bashes. Girls have sex with each other while you poor beer on their nude bodies. It's hectic up there. Last week, someone took a shit on the dean's car," said Manic.

The guys all shared a huge laugh.

"Hey, where's Shadow? Last year, I remember that he had all the girls. Is he still doing that?" asked Manic.

"He was doing it for a while, but I think that Shadow has fallen in love," said Sonic.

"Shadow? No, I don't believe it," said Manic.

"It's all true, and I'm told that he got some girl pregnant," said Knuckles.

"Now that I can believe. Shadow used to hump everything he could find. Someone told me that he once fucked a lunch lady," said Manic.

The guys continued cracking up.

After another thirty seconds of laughing it up, Amy entered the room.

"Dinner is served."

All the guys, but Sonic ran out of the room in a stampede, nearly trampling Amy. Sonic was the last one out because he wanted to walk with Amy.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am."

Sonic kissed her forehead. Then, he and Amy headed for the dining room together.

Everything went silent as they started to eating except for the sound of the wind howling outside. Sonia was the first to break the silence.

"So how do you like everything?" asked Sonia.

"It's alright, but these carrots taste a little ragged. It's almost like mud. Oof!" said Knuckles.

Rouge elbowed him in the side

"Tikal made those. I know she isn't much of a cook, but give her some encouragement," she whispered.

"These vegetables are…. Unique," said Knuckles.

Silver took a bite of asparagus. He almost choked on it as he forced it down.

"How do you like it?" asked Tikal.

Silver gave it a shaky thumbs up. He almost hurled it back up. Snickering came from Sonic and Tails. Amy and Cream poked them in the sides.

The wind howled harder outside.

"Man, it's getting worse outside," said Sonic.

"Hey, at least we still have power," said Knuckles.

Suddenly, the lights flickered a few times before finally going off.

"Knuckles, from now on, don't speak. Just shoot yourself in your voicebox," said Manic.

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Shadow looked outside his window and saw that it was very windy outside. He knew that it probably was a bad idea to ride out in a blizzard.

"It looks like I might be stuck here for a while," said Shadow.

Suddenly, two warm, soft hands crept around his waist. Then, a head rested on his back.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Mina.

Shadow eased his hands inside of hers.

"Neither would I."

Shadow eased her hands from around his waist and turned to face her. Then, he raised her chin with his right hand and brought her in for a sweet kiss.

Shadow caressed her cheek as they made out. Mina. Mina lightly moaned. She also felt Shadow was holding back, but she understood why.

"Will you always be here for me and our child?" asked Mina.

Shadow whispered in her ear. "Always."

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It was lucky that Sonic had a few candles around the house or else it would've been a dark night. Candles were place in the midsection of each room to provide light. It provided some light, but most of it still remained dark. Sonic also had one gas lamp, which burned in the living room.

After they finished eating, it was very late. Also, it was obvious that this was going to turn into an unexpected sleepover. With Manic and Sonia back in their old rooms, a few people were without beds, but they all worked it out. Sonic and Amy would sleep in Sonic's room, Tails and Cream would be lodged in Tails' room, Manic and Sonia had their old rooms, Silver and Tikal would sleep snugly on the couch in the living room, and Knuckles and Rouge would sleep comfortably on the couch in the den. No one really had any night wear to put on; so basically everyone slept in their undergarments, except the ones who lived there. Sonic had a few spare comforters that he gave to his friends.

Rouge laid on the couch, tucked tightly in the arms of Knuckles. It felt like she could stay there for eternity. She probably would've stay there if something didn't start poking her thigh.

"Knuckles, is that what I think it is?" asked Rouge.

"Umm, no."

Rouge felt back at what was touching her thigh.

"It is. Knuckles, you pervert."

"I have no control over some things. There is a way you can make it go down," said Knuckles with a smirk on his face.

Rouge knew where Knuckles was going with this.

"Not in Sonic's house. They might hear us," she said.

After a few minutes, Rouge felt the poking get lighter and lighter until it was gone.

"Problem solved," she said.

Knuckles mumbled something that even he didn't understand before drifting off to sleep.

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On the couch in the living room, Silver and Tikal lie. Silver was trying to go to sleep, but Tikal kept wiggling.

"Is something the matter?" he asked

"I know that you didn't like my vegetables," said Tikal.

"I did."

"Don't lie to me. I know myself that they were horrid. Everyone was trying to hide their emotions to make me feel better."

Silver put his arms around her waist.

"I wasn't lying to you. You're right. They tasted like wet grass, but that's not the reason I said I liked them. I said I liked them because YOU made them," said Silver.

"Really?"

"Yes! That's all that matters to me. Now, go to sleep, my love," said Silver.

Tikal turned her head towards Silver and placed a big kiss on his lips.

"Aww, that's so sweet," said a voice from behind.

Silver and Tikal jumped up and looked around. Standing in the midst of the light was Manic. He had an awkward smile on his face.

"Manic, what the hell are you doing?" snapped Silver.

"I came down to get a glass of water," he said innocently.

Silver sighed "Go get your water."

Manic went over to the faucet and poured himself a glass of water. He drank it loudly. Silver and Tikal heard his gulps all the way by the couch in the living room. Next, they heard him gargling water. After that, started gulping again.

Silver and Tikal were getting a headache as they listened to Manic's strange actions from the kitxhen. He finally came out and went back upstairs.

Silver and Tikal laid back down and went back to sleep with Tikal in Silver's everlasting grasp.

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_Sorry it took so long, but it's getting close to Christmas. I haven't been writing as much. That's that for this one. The next one will be 'Spring Break'. Yeah!_

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	11. Spring Break Part One

_Icy Knuckles has finally returned with his next installment. It's been way too long. I haven't forgotten about fanfiction as much as I just never made time for it and I want to apologize to my readers for keeping you all in suspense. Without further ado, allow me to continue my story. Thanks for all my reviews._

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Winter passed quickly in Station Square. Spring is now upon it. This school year seemed to be flying. Manic and Sonia had gone back to college, and Sonic and Tails once again had the house to themselves. Over the next two months, the couples have gotten closer. Tikal and Silver celebrated their five month anniversary with a candlelight dinner out at the cove. Now, it was time for a very special event in a teenager's life. This time consisted of a week of nonstop partying, relaxing, and grinding. This week coming up was Spring Break.

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"Hey, Sonic! Will you please hurry up? For someone so fast, you're moving awfully slow," said a voice from downstairs. "I hope you and Amy aren't playing around up there."

In the next minute, Sonic and Amy came down the stairs holding hands with luggage in their free hands. Sonic playfully bumped Amy to try to make her fall; however she kept her balance and giggled as she got her balance. Tails greeted them with a shaking of his head. They were acting more childishly than he and Cream does.

"What's wrong, little bro?" asked Sonic.

"It's nothing. Come on. The others are waiting outside," said Tails.

They walked outside to the two SUVs that the group had rented for the week. One was a blue Ford Explorer. The other was a black Lincoln Navigator, fully loaded. Sonic, Tails, and Amy went to load up their baggage in the Explorer. They and Cream would be traveling together, and the rest would travel in the Navigator. After they finished loading up their things, Sonic closed the back. They were now all set except for one person.

"Where's Shadow?" asked Sonic.

"He still hasn't shown yet," said Tikal.

"Leave it to Shadow to be fashionably late," said Knuckles.

The gang all sat there for twenty-five minutes waiting on Shadow. Finally, a yellow Miata pulled up in Sonic's driveway. They could see Shadow in the driver's seat and Mina was in the passenger's seat. Shadow got out and popped the trunk. He went back and got out his luggage, which he had in three black duffle bags that had red and black quills on them. As he got his luggage, Mina stepped out of the car. She pretended that she didn't see any of the girls. The girls just scoffed. She was starting to get big around the waist. She was now almost five months pregnant and was starting to become round. Shadow walked over to her.

"Why don't you come with us, babe?" asked Shadow.

"You know that I would love to go, but MY girls already have plans for Spring Break. We're going to a spa and retreat and just relax and let our troubles fade away. With all the morning sickness I've been getting, I probably wouldn't be much fun for you anyway," said Mina.

Shadow chuckled. "I know better than to argue with you once your mind is made up." He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. "Bye, babe."

"Bye!"

Mina got into her Miata and left.

"Well, Shadow, if you're done making sad, kissy faces, would you please load up your shit so we can get out of here?" asked Sonic.

Shadow picked up his belongings and stuffed them in the Navigator.

"Well, if there are no further delays, let's get going," said Silver.

They all boarded their respective vehicle. Sonic would be driving the Explorer with Amy riding shotgun. Tails and Cream would sit behind them. In the Navigator, Silver was driving with Tikal riding shotgun. Knuckles and Rouge sat behind them, and Shadow sat behind them.

Sonic pulled out of the driveway followed by Silver and now they were headed for Ocean Point Beach. They had rented a beach house down there for the week. It was a five hour drive there. Sonic and Silver turned off onto the interstate to try to reduce the time it takes to get there. Tails had brought his laptop with him, and he and Cream were keeping themselves occupied with it. Knuckles and Rouge were talking between themselves about relationship stuff. Shadow was asleep in the back. Tikal and Amy were calling each other from their cell phones.

"Did you see the way Mina looked at us?" asked Amy.

"She didn't even look our way," replied Tikal.

"I know. She was trying to pretend that we didn't exist. If she wasn't pregnant with Shadow's baby, I would've went over there and straightened her out. Speaking of which, what do you think of their relationship?" said Amy.

"It won't last. Shadow's going to cheat like he always have, and Mina's going to be heartbroken," said Tikal.

Suddenly, Silver turned on the radio. A loud boom came from the back that forced Shadow to awaken in fear. He jumped up so high that he hit his head on the ceiling.

"Silver, what the hell!" said Shadow frantically.

"Sorry, man, but I didn't know what settings this thing was on," explained Silver.

Knuckles and Rouge were laughing at Shadow.

"Go back to sleep, Shadow," said Knuckles.

"I can't!" Shadow's eyes were still wide. He still had that frantic look in his eye.

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They had breakfast at a Denny's that was right off the interstate. After stuffing themselves silly, they continued on their journey to Ocean Point. As they drove, Rouge cuddled up in Knuckles' arms and fell asleep. Shadow called up Mina from his RAZR to check on her. She and her friends were in transit as well, except they were going to Crystal Springs.

About two and a half hours later, the two vehicles were in beautiful, sunny Ocean Point. This town seemed to be almost completely run by teenagers and college students because they were everywhere. The oldest person in this town was probably about twenty-seven. As they passed through the town, the sounds of stereos and louds voices echoed throughout the town. Females in two-pieces and males with nothing on but shorts paraded the streets. The main attraction of this town was the beach.

Two female hedgehogs in bikinis and tops were walking on the left side of the street. Silver looked out at them and smiled. They smiled and gave him a wink.

"What are you looking at?"

Silver turned to see Tikal staring at him with one eyebrow raised and her arms and legs crossed. Silver gulped.

"There are some really nice cars out here," said Silver.

"Uh huh. Those two girls must have really nice framework," responded Tikal.

Silver did an animated sweat drop. Tikal just stared.

"Don't be silly. You're the only girl for me. I wouldn't prefer it any other way," said Silver.

"Naturally," added Tikal.

Silver sighed.

"Nice save," said Knuckles from behind him with his eyes still closed and Rouge in his arms. Rouge laughed with her eyes closed as well.

In a few more minutes, Sonic and Silver pulled up in front of the beach house that they all were going to be staying in. There were quite a few beach houses in the area, all belonging to young adults or teenagers. Sonic and crew unpacked and went in to get acquainted with their living quarters for the next week.

There were five rooms in their beach house. All four of the couples had a room, and Shadow had one to himself. After unpacking all of their belongings, they all changed into their beach apparel. Sonic wore a pair of white swimming trunks and a tank top. Shadow wore black shorts with red flames on them. He didn't bother putting on a shirt. Silver wore blue and white shorts and a sweatband on his head. He also went shirtless. Knuckles wore a black, sleeveless shirt and black shorts. Rouge didn't want to chance sending Knuckles out there without a shirt on. Tails wore a golden tank top and a pair of shorts to match. All the girls wore their individually designed two-piece swim suits.

"Silver, where'd all those muscles come from?" asked Tikal.

"Well, I do play football," said Silver.

Sonic and Silver actually did look more stud-like now. They were far away from being Knuckles, but still, they showed signs of development.

"What are we waiting for? Let's head to the beach," insisted Amy.

Without another word, all of them headed for the beach together. At the beach, teens were everywhere. Some were playing volleyball, some were throwing a Frisbee, others were playing football, some were surfing, and the rest were basically relaxing in the sun. The girls found themselves a nice place in the sand and laid out their towels. Cream set up an umbrella within the midst of them. Each guy kneeled by their respective girl.

"Where'd Shadow go?" asked Tails.

Shadow had disappeared again.

"He probably couldn't stand seeing us together and went off to find someone to hang with," concluded Cream.

"Cream, you're right on the money," said Sonic. He pointed behind Cream. There, Shadow was talking to a fox girl and a female fruit bat.

"I guess the old Shadow is back," said Tikal.

Rouge pulled out a bottle of suntan lotion even though they were all under an umbrella.

"Knuckles, would you mind?"

"No problem, baby."

Knuckles poured some suntan lotion into his hands. Then, he began applying it firmly. Knuckles' touch began to make Rouge feel erotic. Her toes started to cringed and she moaned lightly. She wanted to start screaming his name, but she held her peace because that would be embarrassing.

Suddenly, two very hot girls came over to where the group was. It was obvious that they were college chicks.

"Hey, we're trying to get a game of volleyball going on, but we're a little short on guys. Would you like to play?" asked one of the girls.

Rouge, Tikal, Amy, and Cream all gave the two girls a disgusted look. One was a sky blue hedgehog with very long quills and the other was a brown, hourglass figure having fox with nice red locks. Sonic and the rest of the guys got up very quickly and followed the girls. When Knuckles got up, Rouge fell back because she was leaning against him when he was applying the suntan lotion.

"By the way, I'm Alison and this is Vicky," said the hedgehog.

"Come on, Tails," said Sonic as he walked off with the girls.

Tails, not even giving a second look to Cream, hopped up and darted after his brother.

"Look at them go," said Amy sarcastically. "Men."

The teams were divided equally with three guys and four girls on each side. Sonic and Silver were on Alison's side and Knuckles and Tails were on Vicky's side.

"Volley!"

The ball was thrown into the air. Sonic hit the ball over the net. One of other female members on Knuckles' team hit the ball in the air and one of the males tipped it back over. Silver hit the ball into the air and a gray hedgehog came and spiked the ball onto Tails' head. The ball remained in play and Knuckles punched the ball over the net. It went back towards the edge of the court, but Sonic was there in time to save the ball. He hit it to Silver, who tossed it to Alison, who put the ball into the air and over the net. Vicky sent it back over immediately.

The competition was fierce, but in the end, Knuckles' team ended up winning by 3. After the game, Sonic was exhausted. All he wanted to do was get back to Amy. It had already been about an hour with this game. Knuckles, Silver, and Tails had already gone ahead. Sonic was on his way when he was tapped on his shoulder. It was Alison.

"You were great out there, Sonic. I was real impressed," she said.

"It was nothing, really," said Sonic modestly.

"Well, I think that it was downright amazing. In fact, I can tell right now that there are a lot of amazing things about you," she replied.

"Thanks, I guess. Well, look, I really can't stay. I have to catch up with my friends. I'll see you later," he said.

"I certainly hope so," she replied.

Sonic gave off a light chuckle.

Sonic dashed off after Knuckles and the others, leaving Alison standing there alone.

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As Sonic crossed the beach and was heading back to Amy, he caught a crowd hanging around by the water. They were cheering and applauding. Sonic spotted Knuckles, Silver, and Tails in the midst of the crowd.

"What's all this about?" asked Sonic, joining the group.

"There's this group of legendary surfers that are on the beach and everyone is watching them do stunts," said Tails. "They call themselves the Babylon Rogues."

Sonic looked out into the water and saw four figures out there in the water. From what he could make of them, they all were birds.

Suddenly, a black wolf turned to them.

"Dudes, these guys are legends. No one beats them with a board. There are three guys and a girl in the group. The first one is a big, powerhouse albatross named Storm. He's slow, but no one and nothing makes him fall of his board. Also, there's this mystic one who's as agile as a cat. He's a blue jay named Galeon. The third one is a purple swallow. Although she's a girl, she has the style and techniques that'll put any guy to shame. Their leader is a green hawk that goes by the name of Jet. He has the most unmatched skills of anyone I ever seen," explained the wolf. "There's this legend out that says that he once rode a tidal wave that was 50 feet high."

The guys looked out in the water. The crowd went wild as the Babylon Rogues went aerial. Jet was pulling off somersaults and 180 spins so fast that many people could not keep up with their own eyes. After pulling off a somersault and landing on his board, the Rogues came to shore. People started to clear out. The main attraction was over. Most went back to what they were doing. Sonic and co. approached the Rogues.

"Nice moves," said Tails.

"Thanks, Shorty, but a compliment from you doesn't exactly have any impact on us," said Wave.

"Hey, he only paid you a compliment. The least that you could do is accept it," said Knuckles.

"She doesn't have to accept anything she doesn't want to," said Storm.

"Storm, down boy," replied Jet. "Look, we really appreciate the comment, but you really shouldn't."

"You think that you're too good for us or something?" asked Silver.

"Isn't that obvious?" asked Galeon.

"Well for your information, you're not. Just because you four are good at surfboarding doesn't mean that you can go and look down on others," said Knuckles. "If this was football, I'd flatten you."

"I can look down on anybody I want and there's nothing any of you can do about it," said Jet. "If you want my respect, grab a surfboard and show me some moves."

"We don't have a board," said Tails.

"No problem," said Jet. Use Storm's board."

He took the board from Storm and handed it to Sonic.

"If blue boy here shows me something, I'll give you my respect."

"Deal," said Knuckles.

"Knuckles, wait-"

"Very well. Show me what you got," said Jet.

Knuckles turned to Sonic.

"Sonic, you got this," he said.

Sonic sighed.

"Knuckles, I tried to tell you before that I can't swim," replied Sonic.

Suddenly, Knuckles' eyes got wide.

"Oh shit. We're sunk," he said. "Just get out there and do your best."

Sonic slowly walked into the water. The water felt cold and his fur immediately began to cringe. As soon as the water was at his knees, he threw the surfboard onto the water. Then, he jumped on and laid flat on his stomach. He remembered seeing on TV that the surfer must first gain momentum before standing up, which is why they pedaled with their hands. He continually pedaled outward until he was a good fifty yards away from shore. He slowly stood up. The board was a bit wobbly on the water. Sonic struggled for a minute to get his balance. In about a minute, he was as balanced as he was going to get. Some small waves brushed Sonic's board and he struggled to maintain balance. Somehow, he didn't fall off.

"Big deal. I can do that in my sleep," interjected Jet.

Sonic suddenly started to feel seasick. Everything started spinning around. Sonic kept slightly blacking out for a few minutes. As he was blacking out, a medium wave struck Sonic from under his board and he was sent flying into the sea. The next thing he remembers is being under the water, gasping for air and desperately trying to swim up to the surface. He tried a few times. Then, he gave up. About five seconds later, he found himself getting closer to the surface until finally, he saw light. Knuckles had carried Sonic to shore. Sonic coughed up a heap of water as his knees kissed the sand.

"How'd I do?" asked Sonic.

"You lasted longer than I would have," said Tails.

Sonic smiled. His little brother always knew what to say.

"Where's Jet?" asked Sonic.

"He left. He said that he didn't want to waste his time hanging around amateur surfers," said Silver.

"I'll show him. This isn't over," said Sonic.

Knuckles laughed.

"You'll definitely show him something. I'm sure we'll all get a kick out of hit. Now, if you're done talking shit, we really need to get back to the girls. They probably think that we've run off with those college girls by now."

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_Did you guys really think that Icy Knuckles was through? Not by a long shot. There's still a lot more that I want to say. That was part one of Spring Break. I'll start on part two shortly._


	12. Spring Break Part Two

_You know the drill. Read and Review!_

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After Sonic's embarrassing incident with the Babylon Rogues, he and the guys headed back to their spot on the beach where their girls were waiting. When they reached the spot, they found Tikal, Cream, and Amy waiting patiently, but no Rouge. Knuckles was a bit anxious to find out where she had gone.

"It's about time you guys got back," said Tikal.

"Hey, do you three know where Rouge went?" asked Knuckles.

"Uh, I think she went to the juice bar over there," said Amy as she pointed towards a shack that had people gathered around it.

"Thanks, Amy."

Knuckles left the group in their spot and decided to go to where Rouge was. Not only to see her, but also because he was parched from playing with those college girls. He needed a nice, cold beverage.

When Knuckles arrived at the bar, he saw a few people waiting in line and many more people standing around. The first person that Knuckles recognized was Galeon. He had his sky blue surfboard in one hand and a tropical drink in the other. Galeon walked right past Knuckles without even noticing him.

After he was gone, Knuckles turned his attention towards locating Rouge. He almost gave up searching for her until he saw her step under the shack's veranda and sit on a stool located by the bartender. Knuckles smiled as he watched his love gracefully sip her drink. He was still wondering why he never saw this side of her. Up until this year, Knuckles always saw Rouge as a sexy tease. Now, he's seeing her true affectionate side. 

Suddenly, a medium-sized, yet ripped bat walked up to Rouge. He wasn't wearing a shirt and had on a blue pair of shorts. He started talking to Rouge. Knuckles wasn't going to have any of it. He walked up to the two bats.

"I'm going to be leaving in a few days. Fine as you are, I might take you home with me," said the bat. He winked at Rouge. Rouge looked disgusted. Then, she felt a familiar piece of brawn wrap his arm around her waist.

"You're not my type," said Knuckles.

"Really, homie? Because I'm the type that'll punch a hole right in your face."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow at the bat. He knew that he could take him easily, but he'd rather not embarrass the guy.

"Look, I don't want to fight you, but I don't want you messing around my girl either. Just stay away from her and we won't have any problems," said Knuckles humbly. He grabbed Rouge by the hand and took lead her away from the juice bar.

"Run away, then, you punk ass echidna. Were you scared that I was going to take your girl? She'd be better off with a real man anyway."

The bat continued talking spit to Knuckles, who just continued walking until he was out of ear reach of the annoying bat. He stopped and sighed.

"I wished that you would have clobbered that guy," said Rouge.

"He wasn't worth it," said Knuckles.

Rouge placed her hands on Knuckles'

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. He wasn't my type either," said Rouge. "Let's leave the beach and go explore the town."

"I'm right behind you, Rouge," said Knuckles.

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After staying together for another hour, the group decided to split up. Sonic and Amy went back to the beach house, Tails and Cream walked down to the Seaside Café for some food. Silver and Tikal were left alone.

"What do you want to do?" asked Silver to his girl.

"I kind of just want to get away from it all for a while. I've just gotten you back from those college girls, and I don't want to have to share you again anytime soon," said Tikal.

Silver got up and extended his hand to help Tikal up as well.

"I know what we can do. Let's rent a boat out to the sea," he said.

A smile came across Tikal's face. She followed Silver over to the boat rentals. There was a tan hedgehog behind the counter. He had a surfer dialect.

"Dude, that's one totally righteous babe," said the hedgehog.

Tikal acted flattered.

"We'd like to rent a boat for four hours," said Silver.

"Well, dude, that's going to be $40."

Silver kindly paid the hedgehog and got a receipt. Then, the hedgehog tossed him a key.

"Bring her back around 7:00," said the hedgehog. "By the way, my name's Dennis."

"It's nice to meet you, Dennis," said Tikal.

Silver and Tikal exited the boat rental shop and headed down to the dock where the boats were all located. They looked for the one marked 4-A and got in. Silver cranked up the engine and within minutes, they were out at sea.

"Is this what you wanted?" asked Silver.

Tikal giggled. "You always know just what to do."

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Sonic and Amy were just taking it easy in the beach house. They were bored.

"Sonic, I'm bored," said Amy.

"What is there to do?" asked Sonic.

"Well, we do have the place to ourselves," said Amy.

Just then, Shadow walked in with a disgruntled look on his face.

"Hey, Shadow, what's the matter?" asked Sonic.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said.

Shadow headed upstairs. Once he hit the top stair, he came back down.

"You'll never guess what I've been through today. Do you remember those two girls I picked up?"

Sonic and Amy nodded.

"Well, one of those girls was okay, but the other…" Shadow's voice trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"The other girl wasn't a girl." Shadow's voice cracked. "She was a guy. I almost kissed a guy."

Amy and Sonic fell on the floor laughing.

"That's not funny. I'm emotional right now, and you two want to laugh in my face. That's messed up."

Shadow stormed up the stairs and went into his room.

"Well, that was entertaining, but we're now bored again," said Sonic.

"How about going to a movie? This town is bound to have a cineplex," said Amy.

"That sounds good. Let's go change," said Sonic.

Sonic and Amy went upstairs to change.

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Silver and Tikal were completely alone. There were no boats or beach patrons this far out. It was just her and him.

"Silver, will you rub my feet?" asked Tikal.

"What?" asked Silver in surprise.

"My feet kinda hurts, and I heard that this is romantic," she replied.

"Okay," said Silver, unsurely. He didn't know how rubbing feet could be romantic; at least for him.

He gently removed Tikal's sandals and began caressing her feet. Silver's hands were like magic to her. Her toes had started to curl up and she was moaning from the enjoyment. When Silver finally decided that enough was enough, he put her sandal back on. His hands were starting to turn red.

"That felt great," said Tikal.

"Thank you for rubbing my feet, baby. Here's my present to you," said Tikal in a softened voice. She edged over to where Silver was sitting and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips.

As Silver enjoyed the fruits of his labor, he opened his eyes for a moment and spotted an island out to sea. The island was a very good size with a little vegetation. Silver broke the kiss with Tikal, caught his breath, and spoke.

"How'd you like to visit that island?" he asked.

Tikal nodded.

Silver changed the course of the boat and headed straight for the island. Once there, he exited the boat first, and then kindly helped Tikal out. Silver found himself a spot on the shore to sit down. Tikal, on the other hand, continued to stand up. She closed her eyes and a small breeze swept across the shore. The breeze went through her hair and caused her dreads to fly. Silver just watched his angel, who looked more angelic now than ever. Silver found himself getting up and walking over to Tikal. He gently eased behind her and placed his arms around her waist. Suddenly, his quills were caught in the breeze as well. A smile found itself appearing upon Tikal's face. This island was truly paradise. She could stay here forever.

"I love you, Silver," said Tikal. She caressed his strong hands as they remained wrapped around her.

"I love you, too, Tikal," he replied.

For the rest of the day, (Well, until they had to return the boat.) Silver and Tikal remained like that. The light breeze continued to pass through their hair, and they enjoyed the meditative sounds of the ocean. Even though they would soon have to get back to civilization, they'd never forget their paradise island.

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_Okay, that chapter was……….. I'm not sure, but I sure had fun writing it. I haven't left fanfiction. I've just been busy preparing for college, doing term papers, spending time with my girl, etc. In fact, she helped to inspire that Silver/Tikal bit in this chapter. Speaking of which, I'm going to do one more Spring Break chapter. Then, they'll return to Station Square, have prom, graduate, and then I'm done with this story. Then, I'm starting a new story. Maybe, I'll write a Knuckles/Rouge epic. Who knows? Till' next time._

_P.S. Sorry about the wait. I promise to cut down on the future wait time._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	13. Spring Break Part Three

_I just noticed that I'm the only Silver/Tikal writer on fanfiction. Do the rest of you not see the beauty in the relationship? Someone from the past and someone from the future: They are as one in the present. (That was real dope right there.) Honestly, though, Silver and Tikal make a great couple. That's all. On with the story_

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(Rings)

"Hey, baby. How are you?" asked Mina from the other line in a soft voice.

"I'm great. I'm just missing you a lot," said Shadow.

Shadow was upstairs in his room. Alone. He hasn't talked to Mina since he arrived in Ocean Point, and after the 'incident', he really hasn't talked to any girl. It felt nice to hear a familiar, FEMALE voice. At least he knew that Mina was a female.

"Aww! That's so sweet, baby. Hopefully, we'll see each other tomorrow," said Mina.

It was the end of Spring Break. Tonight was the last night that they'd spend down here. Tomorrow morning, they would be on the road back to Station Square. The week had been very invigorating. All of the couples were growing closer. Despite all the temptations that each of them probably had, they remained faithful.

"I can't wait to see your smile," said Shadow.

Mina giggled on the other end. "Boy, you need to stop."

Just then, on Mina's side, Julie-Su and Sally walked into Mina's bedroom.

"Mina, will you hurry it up? We're late for yoga," said Julie-Su.

Mina let out a small groan. "I gotta go, baby, but I promise that I'm going to call you back when I get back."

"Okay. I love you."(Shadow meant that)

"I love you, too."

(click)

Shadow had Mina listed in his cell phone as 'Baby's Momma.' He closed his phone and put it up. Then, he lay back on his bed. Before he could close his eyes good, there was a knock on the door. Of course, it was Sonic and Amy. They didn't even wait for Shadow to say 'come in.' After knocking, they simply walked in.

"Hey, Shadow," greeted Sonic.

Shadow didn't respond.

"We're all about to go down to the Cascade skating rink and just hang out there. Are you coming?" asked Amy.

Shadow hesitated. Then, he responded. "Maybe later."

Sonic and Amy both shrugged. They didn't understand, but they didn't dare question him either. If Shadow didn't want to come, it was his loss. They both left Shadow there without saying another word.

Since all of the luggage was unpacked, there was enough room in one of the vehicles for everyone. They decided to take the Navigator over to Cascade. Knuckles drove.

Cascade was quite busy tonight. Then again, it was always busy. Cascade was the spot that every teen liked to kick back at. Not everyone even skated. Some people just hung out around the rink itself and watched the other skaters. Sonic and crew all got themselves skating tickets and headed over to the booth where you rent the skates. Knuckles, Rouge, Silver, and Tikal all got rollerblades while the rest of them used regular skates. After they had their skates, they headed for the floor. They all were practically good skaters. Sonic and Knuckles could glide gracefully across the floor without showing any signs of falling. Tails and Silver were a little shaky, but somehow kept their balance. The girls, of course, were natural skaters.

Silver was going too fast at one point and ran smack dab into the side railing. When he hit the railing, he caught onto it, however, and prevented himself from falling. The railing was hard; so it hurt for a few seconds. Silver closed his eyes and winced in pain. When he reopened his eyes, he saw a familiar face. Silver hopped off of the rink and skated over to a very large purple cat. He was sitting at a table by himself stuffing his face. Silver skates up to him and introduces himself.

"Hey, Big, this isn't an all-you-can-eat-buffet. You could go broke around here," said Silver.

Big turned around to see Silver standing over him with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Silver. It's been too long. Emerald High just hasn't been the same without you," said Big.

"I know. I feel the same way over there at Station Square without you," said Silver. "Is your sister around?"

Big pointed over to the place where you rent skates. Standing in line, Silver saw a purple, female feline. She was a brighter shade of purple and wore a white Armani outfit. After saying goodbye to Big, Silver skated his way over to where the cat stood. Silver crept up behind her and covered her eyes with his hands.

"Guess who?" said Silver.

The cat immediately started laughing. She was startled at first, but it became obvious after a second. Silver used to do it to her all the time. "Hey, Silver. It's been a while."

The purple cat reached up and got her skates.

"What have you been up to, Blaze?" asked Silver.

"College for the most part. How about you? I heard that you're a football star at your new high school," said Blaze.

"Well, I'm not all that, but I have managed to find some new friends. As a matter of fact, they are who I'm here with. I'll introduce you to them later," said Silver.

Tikal saw that Silver had left the floor, and decided to go search for him. After about a minute, she found him sitting down with Blaze. They were sitting awfully close, and Silver and she were smiling at each other. As quickly as she could, Tikal skated over to where they were.

"Hey, Silver, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" interrupted Tikal. She sat down on Silver's lap and gave a glare at Blaze.

"Uh, Blaze, this is my girlfriend, Tikal," said Silver. He felt in a tight spot because Blaze is his old flame. Silver knew better than to tell Tikal that he and Blaze used to date, but he was hoping that Blaze didn't say anything about it.

"Hey, Tikal. Silver and I are old friends. We were just catching up," said Blaze.

A new song came on the loudspeakers.

"I like this song. Silver, come dance with me. It was nice meeting you, Blaze," said Tikal. She got off his lap and led him away from Blaze. Tikal had never heard this song before, but it was better than to have someone push up on her boyfriend. She was not having that.

Silver was back onto the rink floor in a matter of seconds. He waved to Blaze from there, without Tikal seeing it of course. Blaze finished lacing up her skates and joined the rest of them on the floor.

After the song that Tikal 'liked' went off, Blaze intruded.

"Mind if I cut in?" she asked.

She skated up to Silver, grabbed him by the hands and skated off with him.

Tikal scoffed.

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Sonic and Amy were skating together enjoying themselves.

"Sonic, I have to run to the bathroom. I'll be back," she said. She gave Sonic a quick kiss on the lips before skating off.

Sonic took that time to catch a breather. He got off the rink, went over to a stool, and sat down. As soon as he sat down, he was met with a familiar voice.

"Hello, Sonic. It's nice to see you again."

The sky blue hedgehog known as Alison sat down next to Sonic on the other stool.

"How are things going?" he asked.

"They aren't going to well. I need help doing something. Would you mind helping me?" she asked.

"Well, it all depends. What is it that you need help with exactly?"

She grabbed Sonic's hand. "C'mon. I'll show ya."

Amy was still in the bathroom when Alison led Sonic out of Cascade and into the parking lot. She never let go of Sonic's arm. When they reached the parking lot, Alison stopped in front of a black Subaru.

"Well, what is it that you wanted to show me?" asked Sonic.

Alison quickly stood in front of Sonic and whispered, "I want to show you a good time."

Sonic raised an eyebrow at this. Before he could say anything, Alison placed her lips on Sonic's. The kiss actually felt good. She definitely used more tongue than Amy. Still, Amy was his girlfriend, and he knew that he was betraying her. Sonic eased Alison off of him.

"Are you ready for more?" asked Alison.

She started undressing and tried to place another kiss on Sonic, but he put his finger in front of her lips.

"I can't do this. It's wrong," said Sonic.

"What's the matter? Don't you like me?" asked Alison.

"That's not the point. I have a girlfriend. It's wrong of me to do this with you," said Sonic.

"Why? Nobody has to know," said Alison.

"Alison, you're a total sleaze. At first, I thought that you were decent to some degree, but after this sudden advance on me, I can see your true colors. I'm sorry, but I don't want anymore to do with you. Goodbye.

Sonic left Alison standing out there in front of the Subaru. He could have sworn that he heard tears.

"Why are all the good guys taken?" Alison whispered to herself.

Sonic went back inside to find his beautiful rose standing on the floor. She was probably waiting on him to come back. He felt like a heel for making her wait. He headed back to the floor. Amy had a worried expression on her face.

"Where have you been?" she asked when she saw him.

"I stepped outside for some fresh air. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

"That's okay, Sonic. I forgive you," she said.

"I love you, Amy," said Sonic.

"And I love my Sonikku as well," she replied.

"Sonikku?"

"It's my new nickname for you. I promise that I won't call you that in front of other people. It'll be our little secret," she said.

Sonic smiled at her. She was his angel.

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Knuckles took Rouge over to the concession stand. She wanted a shake. Knuckles went up and bought his girl a shake and some nachos for him.

"That'll be $4.25," said the employee.

Knuckles politely paid the girl and got his change. It took a minute, but the shake and nachos finally came.

Suddenly, a crowd started gathering around as it had on the beach. The guys already knew who they were.

"It's those show-offs again," said Knuckles.

"Who?" asked Rouge.

"It's just a bunch of creeps that the other guys and I met on the beach. They think that they're some type of extreme sports experts or something," said Knuckles.

The crowd formed a hole and the Babylon Rogues escaped through the gap. They started skating at high speeds around the rink. Then, they started performing tricks on the skates. Storm ducked down, and Galeon did a back handspring over Storm's head. Jet jumped on the side railing and started grinding around the rink. Wave did a 360 turn into the air and landed with finesse. Everyone started clapping and cheering.

When Jet jumped off the railing, he landed near Sonic and Amy. He immediately recognized Sonic.

"Well, well, well, look who it isn't," teased Jet.

Sonic just started at Jet. There wasn't a smile on his face.

"Are you still mad that I'm better than you?" asked Jet with a smirk.

Sonic turned to skate away from Jet.

"Leave me alone, Jet," he said.

Jet skated backwards so that he was face to face with Sonic as he skated.

"I see that you have a girlfriend. She's not bad. I don't know what she's doing with a loser like you, though."

Sonic had had enough. He pushed Jet. Since they were on skates, Jet went back a good distance.

"I told you to leave me alone!!"

Jet skated back over to Sonic and pushed him back. Sonic flew into the railing. Sonic bounced back and sucker punched Jet in the beak. Jet grabbed Sonic by the waist and tackled him to the ground. Then, it turned into a brawl. Sonic and Jet were going at on the floor. A huge crowd gathered around to watch the fight. The crowd was so dense that security could not get through.

Knuckles saw what was happening and rushed over to the crowd. Rouge, however, got stopped by a familiar hand, but Knuckles did not see that. He was heading over to help Sonic. Silver and Tails, too, were heading over to the crowd. The crowd was so thick that Knuckles, Silver, Tails, or security could not get through yet. They had to force their way through.

Jet and Sonic were still fighting. Jet, at the moment, had an advantage, but Sonic quickly recovered and forced Jet down. Then, Sonic started pounding away at Jet. Sonic managed to cause Jet's eye to bleed. At that moment, Sonic was ambushed from behind by Storm and Galeon. The two birds threw Sonic off of Jet and both started beating the crap out of Sonic. Amy could only watch as the two birds smashed Sonic. Thankfully, the security team came through. Two of them grabbed Storm, and one grabbed Galeon. Sonic slowly rose to his feet, but just stood there. Sonic had blood in his mouth and a knot on his head. Jet was still on the floor, holding his eye. The security slowly pushed Storm and Galeon out the door. Next, they came back and got Sonic and Jet and escorted them out.

"Sonic, we'll be out there in a minute," said Knuckles.

Knuckles went back over to find Rouge. She was not alone. That same bat from the juice bar was trying again to put the moves on Rouge.

"I already told you that I'm not interested in you," said Rouge.

"What? You prefer that piece of shit over me?" he asked.

Knuckles was at his wit's end. He was already a little steamed over the Sonic incident. Now, this guy was trying to hit on his girl after he warned him. This wasn't about to be pretty.

Knuckles walked up into the bat's face.

"What's wrong with you? Are you retarded?" asked Knuckles. It was obvious that he was mad.

"I know that you did not just call Magic retarded," said the bat.

"You've got to be hard of learning if you're still talking to my girl after I deliberately told you not to. Which one are you? Are you stupid, simple or slow?" asked Knuckles.

"Who're you calling slow?" He took a swing at Knuckles. Knuckles dodged the punch, grabbed Magic by his shirt, and slammed him headfirst into the wall. Security rushed over to the scene.

"You don't have to show me. I know my way out," said Knuckles, walking past the security without paying them any attention.

Magic lay in the corner, holding his head. He let out a big groan that signaled defeat.

Rouge stood over Magic and mocked him.

"Somebody just got their ass kicked. Bad!" she snickered at him before heading out the door.

What a night!!

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Tails and Cream came out last. They had brought everyone's shoes. Obviously, there was so much commotion inside that everyone forgot that they were still wearing Cascade's skates. Everyone started changing their shoes. They just tossed the skates on the ground and left. Blaze had come with them.

"Wow, Silver. I had a great time tonight, even though it was cut short. Would you mind walking me to my car?" asked Blaze.

"Sure." Silver looked back and saw Tikal's disapproving expression. "Do you mind walking with me, Tikal?"

Tikal's expression changed to a smirk as she followed Blaze and Silver over to her car. Blaze's car was a black Lotus.

"I know you're heading back to Station Square in the morning, but it was still nice seeing you again," said Blaze. She gave Silver a hug. Tikal rolled her eyes.

"It was nice meeting you, Tikal. You're very lucky to have a guy like Silver," she said.

"I know," said Tikal coldly.

Blaze got into her car and closed the door. Big was already waiting there. He had three sandwiches in each hand that were wrapped in paper. He got into the passenger's side. The whole car wobbled as the obese purple cat squeezed himself into Blaze's car.

"What a bitch!" said Blaze as she drove off. Tikal turned her back to the car as it passed her.

"What a sleaze!" said Tikal.

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They made it to the beach house at 1:00 P.M. Shadow was still awake. He was watching Comic View on B.E.T. with a bottle of Grey Goose in his hand. (For those of you who don't know, Grey Goose is vodka.) When they all walked in, he immediately noticed Sonic.

"Sonic, you look beat the fuck up. I knew that I missed sssomething," teased Shadow with slurred speech.

"Shut up, Shadow," said Sonic as he walked up the stairs. "I'm going to take a shower and head to bed."

Shadow cracked up laughing at Sonic. He was dead drunk. Knuckles came out of the kitchen a few minutes later with a glass. Everyone was staring at him.

"What?" he asked. "It's been a long night, and I need a little night cap."

"I'm still glad that you hit that Magic guy. The guy needed a tic-tac like Michael Vick needed Johnnie Cochran," said Rouge.

"You can't really blame him though. You're just too sexy for these guys to resist," said Knuckles.

Rouge smiled at Knuckles' charm. To her, it was sweet.

At about 2:15, everyone was asleep. They'd never forget the people they met in Ocean Point. Despite all the mishaps that occurred, they all agreed that this was a great Spring Break. Now that Spring Break is at an end, it's time to head back home and walk the halls of Station Square High.

_A/N: Sorry Taiream fans for not including much of them. I'll do my best to give more on them in the later chapters. Oh yes, there's more_.


	14. High School Drama

(Ring)

School's been back in for a couple of weeks now. The same old familiar faces were being seen once again. "Miss Popular" and her clique still had a dislike for Amy and her friends. Fortunately, the feeling was mutual. The only thing that they liked about Sally's clique was that Mina and Shadow were dating. Of course, they believed that the only reason Shadow was dating Mina was that she had his baby.

Mina was now five and a half months pregnant. Her belly was getting out there. Unfortunately for her, this means that she could no longer wear her normal clothes that were tight and showed her midriff.

Tails and Cream were really starting to develop a deeper relationship. Since they've been back, they've started to drift apart from their friends and only hang out with each other. In the evenings, Tails would have Sonic drop him off over Cream's house in the evenings, or Cream would come over there especially when Sonic had a date with Amy. They spent all the time that they could together. Being with Cream had also brought about some changes in Tails. For example, he stopped wearing glasses and started wearing contacts. Everyone thought that he looked more 'like a teen' with the glasses off. For a while, Tails had been wearing sweater-vests and khaki pants all the time, but now he's began to expand his clothing options.

Girls still hit on Shadow. It seems that they didn't care whether he had a girlfriend or not, they still wanted a piece of him. Many of them tried to coax him by pressing their bodies against him and giving him sneak peeks at what he probably already had seen anyway.

Sally and Julie-Su still hated on Amy and Rouge. They had tried numerous attempts to win back Sonic and Knuckles, but they all failed.

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Amy and the cheerleaders did not have any more games to cheer at; so instead of practicing like they'd normally do, they just hung out in the cheerleaders' trailer. Some of them would just roam the halls, making sure the principal did not catch them. She'd usually just go hang out with Rouge, Tikal, and the other dancers in the dance team practice room.

On her way there today, she caught Sally's eye. Sally had been sitting in Study Hall. The door was open and the teacher and most of the students were asleep. So she just walked out and caught up with Amy before she had reached the dance room.

"Hey, Amy, wait up," called out Sally.

Amy saw Sally walk up to her. She was almost determined to keep walking, but if for some reason chose to hear her out.

"What do you want Sally?" asked Amy.

"I noticed that you and Sonic are still together. That's nice, but it won't last forever, you know."

"What do you mean?" asked Amy. She was getting a little ticked off with Sally.

"Let me paint you a picture. Sonic's a senior this year. Next year, he'll be gone, and you'll still be here. You two will grow apart as time passes. Those long distance relationships never work. Let's face it, Sonic's cute. When he gets to college, other girls are going to notice and want him as well. Now, do you think that he'd want some high schooler that he can't even see when all that college ass is thrown in his face? I think not. That was one of the reasons why I tried dating Sonic. It would have spared you the heartbreak. Think about it. Knuckles and Rouge are the same age. So are Silver and Tikal and Cream and Tails. Their relationships have a bigger chance of working than yours and Sonic's."

Amy just stood there, letting it all sink in. She never considered the grade differences that she and Sonic shared compared to their friends. What if it doesn't work out? What then? It seems that when she's finally happy, something goes horribly wrong. Somehow, she mustered up the courage to give a witty answer back at Sally.

"You're just jealous that you got your boyfriend stolen by a tenth grader," she said.

"You're going to feel worse than that next year," replied Sally.

Amy became silent. Sally smirked under her fake smile.

"Well, I must be getting back to class now before Mr. Logan wakes up," said Sally.

She left Amy there feeling distraught.

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"25…26…27…28…29…30." Knuckles put the weight back up on the bench. He had just bench pressed 430 lbs thirty times.

All the guys that played football this year were in the field house doing personal fitness and talking. Knuckles raised up, having finished his set. Sonic and Silver were both wearing black wife beaters, and Shadow had on a muscle shirt. Knuckles, of course, was shirtless. Sweat dripped down his chest.

"So, have you gotten your prom tickets yet?" asked Silver.

"Not yet. I'm going to get them after school," replied Knuckles. "How about you, Sonic?"

Sonic finished his curls and sat the bar on the floor. "Well, I picked them up yesterday at lunch."

"Man, you're lucky. You get to go to four proms, while the rest of us only get two," said Silver.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, prom is only for 11th and 12th graders. Since Amy is only a 10th grader, you get to come back here for her 11th and 12th grade year proms," explained Silver.

Sonic laughed. Once he realized that, he concluded that he really was lucky. He suddenly noticed Shadow squatting some heavy weight. He had been silent the whole conversation, which was unlike Shadow. Shadow always had some witty comment to say about the others, but now there was nothing.

"Hey, Shadow. What's the matter?" asked Sonic.

Shadow placed the weight back on the rack and took a seat. "What makes you think that something's wrong?"

"You're quiet. Whenever YOU'RE quiet, we know something's wrong," said Knuckles.

"Hardy har har… Look, you guys are all talking about prom. I'm not going. With Mina being pregnant, she can't really just do all these things; so regrettably, I must miss my senior prom. I've had numerous other offers to go to prom. Breezy wanted me to blow her back out like I did last time, but like I said, I'm going steady with Mina. If she has to miss, then I'm going to miss, too."

"Damn. That's all messed up," said Knuckles.

"Cream and I can't go either because we're freshmen. Instead, we're going to the movies. Do you want to double date with us?" asked Tails.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Tails. Mina and I will just have to do our own thing."

"That's how she got pregnant in the first place," said Knuckles with a smirk.

Shadow couldn't help laughing at the comment.

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"Scarlett, hun, if you want Espio to notice you, you've got to stop being so conservative. I mean, you're sexy, but no one can tell by just looking at your face. You've got to uncover some of the goodies. Wear a short skirt. Show some cleavage. Show your midriff. You've got to do something to get the guys to notice you. Now, I may be out of the game right now, but I still remember how to play it," said Rouge. She had been giving love advice to the girls in the room.

"Mindy, if Tristan wants some time apart, give it to him. You've got to make him think that you don't want him. Then, he'll want you."

Amy was sitting in the crowd, but was silent. She wasn't even on the same page with the rest of the girls. She was deep in thought about what Sally had said. It was something that had clawed its way down into her soul. She didn't want to give up Sonic to some hot, college hedgehog. She was so confused that she didn't know what to do. Amy finally snapped out of her trance after being shaken by Tikal.

"Are you back with us?" asked Rouge.

"Yeah. I just had something on my mind," she said softly.

"Well, share. You'll feel a lot better once you get it off your chest," Rouge said.

"It's really kind of personal."

"That's what friends are for. They're for you to tell your secrets to. If Knuckles and I had a problem, I'd tell you and Tikal about it. Of course, Knuckles and I are the perfect pair; so I won't have any problems out of him. Sure, we fight and argue all the time, but that still doesn't mean anything. I know he'd be here in a heartbeat if I needed him. That's a relationship."

"Well, I guess that I need to talk to someone. Here it is." Amy sighed. "I'm worried about next year when Sonic is off at college, and I'm stuck here for two more years. Do you think that Sonic will forget about me once he sees all those college chicks?"

"Is that all? I thought you had a real problem," said Rouge. "Look, if Sonic can't remain faithful to you when you're apart, he's really just not the one for you. Now, you may be all in love with him and everything, but you're not someone's sex toy. You two should talk. If he loves you, he'll give you the honest truth."

Amy felt a little better after hearing this, but it still wasn't a total spirit raiser. Still, it was better than nothing.

"Thanks, Rouge."

"Hey, what are friends for?" She turned back to the other girls. "Okay, who's next?"

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After school, Shadow was heading for his motorcycle. Before he actually made it to the bike, he was stopped by Mina.

"Hey there, cutie," she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She seemed overly ecstatic.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked.

Mina reached into her purse and pulled out two tickets. They were prom tickets. Shadow was a little confused.

"Who are they for?" asked Shadow.

Mina raised an eyebrow.

"Have you been drinking again?" It sounded like she was joking, but she was dead serious.

"No, but I know they can't be for us because the baby…"

"The baby isn't due until July. It's only April." She gave Shadow a tiny peck on the lips. "Besides, it's both of our proms. This is your senior prom, though, and I wouldn't want you to miss out because I'm pregnant. I might not be able to do much there, but I will be there," said Mina.

Shadow really didn't want her to go, but he knew from tons of experience that once a girl had her mind set on something, she stops at nothing to get it. "Do you already have a dress?" he asked.

"Yes. After I started bulging like this, I got my waist remeasured. Then, I had to shop accordingly. You'll love it, Shadow. All I can tell you is that it's white so that you can rent your tuxedo and we won't be mismatching. The rest, you'll have to see on prom night."

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Well, please review. Let me know what I can do to make the prom chapter something that everyone will enjoy. This is no longer my story. This is OUR story. Help me to write an epic that will be remembered forever._

ICY KNUCKLES


	15. A Night to Remember

_I've taken into account all that I've heard from the reviews. Now it's time to work my icy magic. Before I start, though, I'd just like to remind everyone that this is fanfiction. That means that I can write whatever I want and have my characters behave any way that I want. Just because Julie-Su is a bitch in my story doesn't mean that she's one in everyone's. That was just the role that I gave her to play in my story. I write my stories based on what 'I think' the readers want to read, and personally, I think that more people would like to see Sonic and Amy as a couple, Knuckles and Rouge as one, and so on. Also, keep in mind that I'm trying to capture the 'nature' of a typical high school. In high schools, you have people in cliques, people that fall in love with their high school sweethearts, people that hate other people for no specific reason, you have guys that every girl wants, etc. Like I previously said a few chapters back, I'm a high school senior; so you can't tell me shit about what goes on in high school._

_Now, get ready for prom._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The day that everyone has been waiting for had finally arrived. Tonight would be marvelous. It will be one of the most memorable nights in any teenager's life, especially a girl's life. Tonight was prom night.

It normally takes a girl all day to get ready for prom. Today would be no exception.

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_5:00 A.M._

Cream walked into Amy's house early that morning. She hadn't even gotten out of the bed before her cell phone started to ring. Amy must have really been stressing about prom. She really couldn't blame Amy, though, since this was her first prom ever, and with Sonic at that. Cream could see how Amy wanted this day to be perfect.

"I'm so glad that you could come," said Amy as Cream walked inside. Amy was still in pajamas. "I kind of figured that you might be hungry since it's so early in the morning; so I got up and fixed you something to eat."

Cream followed Amy into the kitchen, where she found some eggs, bacon, orange juice, toast, and pork sausage. Cream's mouth began to water. Amy's cooking skills went unsurpassed when compared to most people her age. Cream even thought that Amy cooked better than her own mother in all types of dishes except pastries. Vanilla made the best pastries in Station Square. Cream went to the table and started devouring her meal. Amy went over to the coffeemaker and got herself some hot coffee.

"This is great," she said.

Amy smiled. "I wouldn't just give my best friend crap to eat."

After finishing her meal, Cream followed Amy upstairs to her room. She was the only one awake. Her parents and kid sister were all sleep. Cream could hear Amy's father snoring very loud as she passed the room. She honestly didn't know how Amy's mother could take all that noise. He sounded like he swallowed a chainsaw.

Amy's room was decorated just like you'd think Amy would decorate it. Everything was pink. There was a Hannah Montana poster on the wall. She had a three picture frames: One of her and Sonic, one of her and Cream, and one of her and all of her friends that was taken during spring break. Next to her pictures were her pom-poms and a diary.

"Do you want to see my dress?" asked Amy. "I almost forgot that you haven't seen it yet."

Before Cream could answer, Amy was in her closet. She had whole rack of shoes on the back of her door. Hanging in front of all her other outfits was her cheerleader outfit. That was her pride and joy. Her prom dress was still wrapped in plastic, but you could make out the details of it. It was a red, Jovani dress with a V-shape neckline with beaded straps, a center front beading that holds a unique flowing center front panel, and a creative back neckline.

"You're going to look great in that," said Cream.

"Thanks!" Amy carefully hung her dress back in the closet.

"Why did you call me over here?" asked Cream.

"Well, Cream, you're my best friend. I could really use some company while I prepare for tonight. There's so much to do. First, I have to get a wax. Then, I'm meeting Rouge and Tikal at the salon. We're going to get our hair and nails done at 11:00. After that, I have to make it back home in time to take myself a good shower and then get ready, which is going to take hours. I wouldn't feel right if my best friend missed out on my most important day as a teenager," said Amy.

"Aww! Thanks, Amy," she said. She got up off of Amy's bed and embraced her.

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_12:30 P.M._

Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Silver, and Tails were all playing a game of 21 in basketball at the rec center. They really didn't have anything to do but shower and get dressed.

Sonic took up the game winning shot, but missed by an inch. Tails rebounded the ball, but Shadow stole the ball before he could do anything with it. Shadow scored an easy lay-up and went to the free throw line. He made the first free throw but missed the second. This time, Silver got the rebound. He used to play basketball at his old school; so he had an advantage. He did a cross-over that almost broke Sonic's ankle. Silver went back to the arc and shot the ball for three points. He made all three shots. Then, he dribbled around Tails and into the paint to be met with a powerful block from Knuckles. Tails got the ball and shot a close-range jump shot for two. He went to the line and tossed up a brick. Knuckles crashed the boards and got the rebound. He took the ball inside and dunked on Shadow.

Silver won in the end. Sonic was next with nineteen. Knuckles had eighteen, Shadow had fifteen, and Tails had eleven. It was a pretty close game. After the game, they all were tired; so they decided to sit on the benches. Silver's sweatbands were drenched. They all pulled out the Gatorade bottles that they had packed and brought with them.

"Great game," said Knuckles.

They all agreed to it.

"Are you guys ready for tonight?" asked Tails.

"I've been ready for a good week," said Sonic.

"Mina sprung it on me at the last minute, but I somehow managed to get my tux in time for tonight," said Shadow.

"Fellas, we're going to be flashy and fly tonight," said Knuckles.

"Maybe, but I'm going to be the flyest," said Silver

They all argued for a few minutes on who was going to have the best shoes, vest, coat, cufflinks, and even the best shirt. They basically argued about every part of the tux. After all the arguing was done, they basically forgot they were arguing and got up to leave.

"Let's go see what the girls are up to," said Tails.

All four guys looked at Tails and replied in unison, "HELL NO!!!!"

"Tails, prom night is like a wedding to girls. When they are getting ready, they don't want you to see them. If we walk in on them, they'll never forgive us. Since prom is tonight, that means that we'd be getting chewed up and spat back out all night," said Sonic.

"Sorry I mentioned it. I guess that I still have a lot to learn about girls," said Tails, scratching the back of his head.

"Let's go grab some Spanky's," said Shadow.

"Let's, said Knuckles."

And with that, they all left the rec center.

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_2:00 P.M._

Rouge was under the dryer, Tikal was getting her hair washed, and Amy was getting her hair styled. She had removed her head band from her head. Now, her hair fell down longer. She was getting a few of her quills twisted. Tikal was going to get the same except hers would be going diagonally instead of down. Rouge was just getting her hair pressed and laid down. Cream just sat in a chair texting Tails while her friends got their hair done.

The hairstylist was a yellow cat with a Haitian accent, but she knew how to work magic with hair. It was kind of funny hearing her talk since she sounded like Miss Cleo.

"Regina, you're saving our hair again," said Tikal.

"Darling, if it's one thing that Miss Regina knows, it's hair. You three are going to knock those boys' socks off once Miss Regina is done with ya," she said.

Rouge had her out a Vibe magazine whilst her hair dried. She was reading an article on teen relations.

"Naturally, Knuckles is going to be stunned by my radiance. I'm just a gem," said Rouge.

"You're also full of yourself," said Tikal.

Because of the roar of the dryer, Rouge did not hear Tikal's comment. Amy and Miss Regina starting cracking up. There was a middle-age woman sitting up under the dryer next to Rouge.

"Girls, have your fun now because when you get older, men stop paying attention to you.

Amy looked at the lady.

"Oh, don't look at me like I'm crazy, honey. I know. My man hasn't touched me in six weeks. I know something's wrong. Every day when he gets home, he sits on the sofa and watches TV."

"I think he's seeing someone else," said another lady.

Soon, many other ladies joined in. Rouge, Tikal, Cream, and Amy had a lot of fun laughing at the ladies' many theories on men.

It took about another hour, but finally the girls were finished. Amy and Tikal's hair were practically sparkling. Rouge's hair glowed brighter and really helped to bring out her coloring.

"What do you think, Cream?" asked Amy.

Cream smiled. "It looks nice. Wait until Sonic sees you," she said.

"Well with that, let's go and get our nails did," said Amy.

They all went over to the nail desk and sat down in a chair. The nail stylist was a young adult, gangsta chick. She had on some big earrings and was popping gum. The girls knew her well, though. Her name was Chantal and she was a skinny, brown bat.

"What's happening, girls," she said. "Sit on down and I'ma hook you up real good." Chantal was popping her gum hard.

Tikal went first. She got hers trimmed and got some butterfly coverings on them. Rouge simply got her glossy. Amy went last. Her nails were naturally long; so they were just trimmed and shined. By the time Chantal was finished with all three of them, it was 5:00.

"Girl, I hope Sonic brings his shades because you're going to be shining bright," said Chantal. Amy went around and gave Chantal a hug. "You know you're lucky, right. Shit, I wish that I had a guy like Sonic when I was in school. Maybe there's one out there, but if there isn't, I'm still going to be me. Ya heard!"

Amy giggled. Chantal's lingo always made Amy laugh.

Amy took out her purse and was about to pay Chantal, but she pushed her hand back.

"This one is on the house. You girls get out there and do your thing," she said.

"Do you want me to pretty your nails on up too, Cream?" asked Chantal.

"No thanks. I'm not going to prom," said Cream.

"Bye Chantal," said Rouge.

"Bye girl. You better make Knuckles melt."

Rouge, Tikal, Amy, and Cream headed out of the door.

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_5:00 P.M._

At 5:00, Knuckles decided to get ready. The first thing that he had to do was take a shower. It was desperately needed since he had been sweating earlier today with his friends at the rec center. Knuckles took off all of his garments until he stood there in his boxers. He turned on the shower and let it run. As soon as it was the right temperature for him, he took off his boxers and walked right in. No sooner than he walked in, his cell phone rang. He recognized the ring tone. It was Rouge calling. Knuckles exited the shower with his body dripping with water and went over to the sink, where he placed his phone. He answered.

"What's happening, baby!" he greeted.

"Hey, sweetie. I just called to let you know that the girls and I are done getting beautiful for you guys. You'd better appreciate all the trouble we went through," said Rouge.

"Don't worry about me. I'd appreciate you no matter how you looked. I mean that from the bottom of my heart," said Knuckles.

Rouge giggled lightly. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I was taking a shower before you called," he answered.

"Ooh! Do you want some company?" she asked.

"I'd love some, but don't you have to get ready for tonight. In case you've forgotten, it's our senior prom. Don't worry. There'll be plenty of time for pleasantries after prom," said Knuckles.

"You can count on that, handsome," she said. "Well, I'm going to let you finish up now. I've got to do the same. Bye, sweetie," she said.

With that, Knuckles hung up from Rouge and walked back into the shower. He had gotten water everywhere, but it didn't matter. Talking to Rouge was more important.

After fully cleaning his body about three times, Knuckles stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then, he walked out of the bathroom and down to his room. He suddenly felt a chill. It seems that his father was running the AC at full blast.

"Dad, could you cut the air down? It's freezing in here," said Knuckles.

From the other room, he could hear Locke turning the air condition off. He couldn't wait to get to his room and get some warmth.

After reaching his room, Knuckles began to dress. He started with his boxers and worked his way up. When he finished and was finally ready, it was 6:30. Knuckles walked out of his room with a black tux on with a black vest and tie to match. He walked out of his room and into the living room. He made sure that he had his keys, cell phone, wallet, and some breath mints. Once he checked for all those things, he was ready. Locke came in to look at his son.

"That's my boy," said Locke in his deep voice. "Have fun out there tonight."

"I will, Pops," he said. Knuckles headed for the door.

"Wait!" Locke called out. He walked over to Knuckles and placed four crisp hundred dollar bills in his hand. "I know that you already have plenty of money for tonight, but take this for emergencies."

"Thanks, Pops. I'll see you later," he said. He went out the door and left.

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Sonic emerged from his room in his tuxedo. His tux was similar to Knuckles' except his vest and cufflinks were red.

"How do I look, little bro?" asked Sonic when he came out of his room.

"You look like money to me," said Tails. He gave Sonic a 'thumbs up'.

"Well, it's about time I go pick up Amy," said Sonic. He then tossed Tails the keys to his Camaro.

Tails looked confused.

"I'm not going to be here to drive you and Cream to the movies tonight. Here's your way. I rented a Lamborghini Diablo for tonight anyways. Just take it easy on the paint job and don't let it get stolen or wrecked. If there's a scratch in my car when I get back, I'm going to put a scratch in your ass," teased Sonic.

"I won't let anything happen to it," said Tails.

"I know you won't, little bro." Sonic turned to leave. He waved good-bye to Tails and exited the house. Tails looked outside at Sonic's rental car. It was blue and was sitting on 22 inch Daytons.

Within a minute, Sonic was speeding down the street toward his rose.

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_6:43P.M._

Silver had also rented a car for tonight. He was driving a white Chrysler 300. Silver pulled up in Tikal's driveway. He exited the car and walked up to her house. Before ringing the door bell, he took in a deep breath. Then, he finally rang the bell. Silver wore a royal blue tux with a silver vest on and a blue tie.

After what seemed like minutes, the door was answered. Tikal's huge father, Pachacamac, answered.

"Come in," he said coldly.

Silver followed him into the house and took a seat.

"Tikal, he's here," yelled Pachacamac up the stairs.

Pachacamac sat down across from Silver on the couch. They just sat there looking at each other. Truthfully, Silver didn't know what to say to him. Luckily, Pachacamac spoke first.

"Now, look, boy. I'm not totally in favor of you keeping my daughter out tonight, but since it is prom night, I'll give her a 3:00 curfew. Don't bring her in at 3:01 or 3:02. If you bring her in late, I'm going to need a doctor to help me pull all that foot out of your ass. Are we clear?" he asked.

"Yes sir. We're clear. Don't worry. I'll have her back in plenty of time," Silver said.

"See that you do."

About half a minute later, Tikal came down the stairs. She looked absolutely stunning. Her dress was a royal blue Alyce design A-line gown that consisted of a one of a kind neckline, beaded top with keyhole center that criss crosses around the neck, and a long flowing back train. Her gold earrings and blue heels added much appeal to the already sparkling dress.

"Wow!" said Silver as he feasted his eyes on the beauty that stood before him. "You look great."

Silver had a blue corsage in his hand that matched Tikal's dress perfectly. He opened the box and placed it on Tikal's wrist.

"It's beautiful," said Tikal.

"It's not as beautiful as the lady that stands before me," said Silver.

"Ahem!" said Pachacamac. He had been watching the whole thing.

"Oh, umm, we'd better get going if we want to arrive on time," he said.

"Yeah, let's go. Bye Dad," said Tikal as she and Silver headed towards the door.

"You kids have fun, and Silver…" called Pachacamac. He pointed to a rifle that he kept next to the couch.

Silver gave him a thumbs up despite the fact that he wanted to hit Pachacamac over the head with the rifle. Nevertheless, Silver shook the thought out of his head and headed for the door.

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7:00 P.M.

The prom started at 7:00, which meant that they were all too early. It was just a custom for the cool kids to be fashionably late. Not only that but they hadn't eaten yet either. Right now, the only ones that could possibly be there are the social outcasts, chaperones, band, and principal. The band probably hadn't even set up their equipment yet.

Besides playing basketball with his friends today, Knuckles spent all day polishing up his ride. Everything in there was spotless. He even had a 'new car' smell in there.

Rouge's mother practically loved Knuckles to death. She was happy that Rouge was dating him. Whenever he came over, she'd spend more time with Knuckles than Rouge would. She'd even cook for him. When Knuckles came to pick up Rouge, Rouge's mother just couldn't stop taking pictures. After about thirty pictures, Rouge and Knuckles finally slipped out of the house and headed off towards the prom.

Knuckles was taking Rouge out to eat before prom. They were going to meet up with Silver, Tikal, Sonic, and Amy at the most expensive restaurant in town, _The Chalet. _Shadow and Mina would not be joining them solely because of Mina's dislike of Amy, Tikal, and Rouge.

Rouge got out of the car first when they arrived at the restaurant. Her prom dress was a Mauri Simone fitted body, halter formal dress with an opening in the breast of the dress for cleavage exposure and a sexy back made of black satin material. She was also wearing a white corsage that Knuckles gave her on her wrist and wore blue mascara. They walked in and found the rest of their friends sitting at a table with six chairs.

The place was absolutely astounding. It was well lit, and the floors were spotless. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling as the sweet melody of classical music filled the air. The place was decorated in white and as big as a gymnasium. The tables all had Sterling silver utensils, silver candle holders with candles burning for aroma, and crystalline drinking glasses. This was some king shit right here.

Knuckles walked over to the table and held Rouge's chair out for her to sit down at. He took the empty seat next to her.

"Tikal, you look wonderful," said Rouge.

"Likewise," replied Tikal.

They all opened their menus to look at the food. The prices were very high. In fact, it cost $35 for a shrimp platter.

"Look at these prices. They're way too high," said Rouge. "I don't want to make you go broke; so you order for me."

"Get what you want. I can afford it," said Knuckles.

"Are you sure?" she asked

Knuckles nodded. "Tonight is ours."

A waiter came over to the table. He was a tall, French mongoose.

"Welcome. May I take your order?" he said politely.

Sonic searched through the menu for something appetizing.

"This place has chili dogs? Sweet! I'll have three chili dogs and a bowl of cheese chowder," he said.

The rest of them ordered their food after Sonic. Amy ordered a steak, rare, with a side of mashed potatoes. Knuckles ordered a filet mignon, some Cajun fries and two chocolate mousses. Rouge ordered chicken filet with dressing and a fruit salad. Tikal ordered a shrimp platter, and Silver got a salmon dinner. For their drink, they all had red wine.

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Tails drove over to Cream's house shortly after Sonic left to pick up Amy. When he arrived at her house, she was surprised to see Tails driving. She certainly thought that he looked cute driving, though. Tails was wearing some Enyce jeans with a black tee. Cream got into the passenger's seat and buckled up. She was wearing a short skirt.

Tails carefully pulled out of the driveway and headed for the Cineplex. He didn't drive wild or out of control like Sonic and Knuckles. Instead, he drove at a slow, steady pace. First of all, he didn't have a license; so if he got pulled over, his fine would be enormous. Secondly, he wasn't as reckless and careless as his older brother either. That was something that Cream adored about him.

The Cineplex was across town. It took about half an hour to get there. When they arrived, they found it to be not that packed. Since most of the teens that could drive were at the prom, it made sense for the movies to be kind of empty. There were a few 9th and 10th graders lurking about, but not that many. There were also a few college students and adults there as well with their families.

Cream and Tails waited in line for about five minutes. When they finally made it to the front of the line, Tails requested two tickets to see _Why Did I Get Married?._ He picked it because it was a romantic flick centered around arguing married couples. Girls liked stuff like that.

After he had their tickets, he told Cream to go find their seats while he got some snacks. Cream went in one direction, and Tails went in another.

Tails approached the snack bar.

"Can I get a large popcorn, some bon-bons, and some juju fruits?" he said.

"Tails, is that you?" asked a feminine voice.

Tails was counting his money; so he wasn't looking at the cashier until she called his name. He looked up and saw a fox that was a darker shade of orange than he was with long, red hair.

"Hello, Fiona," he greeted the fox.

Fiona was in his Health class the first semester. She used to tease him all the time by saying that he looked like Urkel.

"You've changed a lot since I last saw you. Losing those glasses was the best thing that you could have done. Your gear is nice, too," said Fiona. She was carefully eyeballing him.

"Thanks," he said.

"Are you and Cream still dating?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm here with her now," he said.

"Too bad because I get off at 9:00 and I was actually considering going out somewhere with you. Oh well!" she said. "Your total is $5.85."

Tails gave her the money and got his food and change. "See you around."

Tails was in thought about what she had just said to him. Did the clothes really make him look that much better? They were real baggy and were always falling off of him. Everyone seemed to like him more now, but he didn't feel that comfortable. He much preferred polo shirts casual pants. Tails walked into Screen 13. He came in and walked around until he found Cream sitting at the top in a corner. He walked up the stairs and took the seat next to her. Then, he passed her the popcorn and bon-bons.

"Thanks!" she said.

"You're welcome."

Soon, the movie began. Tails kicked back and placed an arm around Cream. His favorite genre was science-fiction, but he had no problem watching a love movie if it made Cream happy. She really wasn't a fan of science-fiction. As the movie played, Tails started thinking about what Fiona had said to him.

"Cream, be honest. Do you like me like this?

"What do you mean? I wouldn't be here if I didn't like you" she said.

"I know. I'm referring to my clothes."

"Oh. Well, regardless of what you wear, I'd think of you as the perfect gentleman. I don't look at what you are. I look at who you are. That's just me, but if those clothes are bothering you, just be true to yourself and know that you must make yourself pleased before others."

Cream wasn't as shallow as a lot of other people. That was one thing that Tails liked about her.

"Thanks, Cream. You're a really big help," he said.

Tails turned away from his thoughts and spent the rest of the movie focusing on it.

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_7:55 P.M._

The others had just finished their meals. All of them thought that their meals were scrumptious. As expensive as it was, it had better been. They all left a nice tip and headed out the door. The girls were all ready to show off at the prom, especially to Julie-Su, Mina, and Sally. They all got into their respective rides and hightailed it to prom.

Silver and Tikal arrived first. Silver got out of the car first. Then, he went around and opened the door for Tikal. He took her hand and helped her out like a gentleman would.

Knuckles and Rouge were right behind them. They found a park close to Silver and Tikal. After them, Sonic and Amy arrived. They all had agreed to wait on each other so that they could enter together. As soon as Sonic and Amy had caught up with the rest of them, they all headed for the school.

The prom was being held inside the school gymnasium this year. Because of last year's incidents that involved ten students getting arrested, the school was on probation. Still, the students had done a great job setting up the prom. Silver, Tikal, Julie-Su, and Mina all helped with the decorating. It was tradition that the 11th graders throw the prom for the 12th graders. The theme for this year is "A Night to Remember". They had done a very good job of decorating the place. First of all, there was a red carpet that extended from the entrance of the school into the gym. In the corridor that separated the gym from the entrance was a small fountain that produced a very therapeutic sound of running water. The basketball goals and the bleachers had been properly removed so that they would not be seen. Long stemmed roses were placed on both sides of the entrance into the gym. The prom colors were sapphire and silver. There were various decorations hung throughout the corridor and the gym. The band was placed upon the small stage that was in the gym. They were called "Windy Valley Angels". There were tables and chairs scattered throughout the gym and corridor. The refreshment table and photographer were set in the corridor as well.

By the time they had walked in, it was 8:00 P.M. They all walked inside and were amazed at what they had seen. Even Tikal and Silver didn't think that it looked this good. The colors were very exuberant and bright. There were students standing all around the corridor. The first person that they saw was Flame. He was with his date, Sabrina the Fox. She was a white fox that only had one tail. Her dress was silver, which really brought out her color. Flame was wearing a white tux with a pink vest, a white top hat, a cane, and some white gloves. He looked a lot like he was going to the Player's ball rather than a high school prom.

"Hey, guys. How are you?" he asked.

"We're good. We just came to get our shine on," said Sonic.

"Well, go right on ahead with ya bad ass. The major part of the prom is in the gym, but the major party is going on after prom on my yacht at midnight. See you there," said Flame. With that he walked off. He kind of walked like a player, too. Flame's parents were rich, and they allowed him to rent a yacht to sail from Station Square Bay to the Mystic Ruins beach on a slow, all night voyage.

The next people that they saw were Shadow and Mina. They were both sitting over at a table in the corner. Shadow was wearing a white tuxedo as well, but his vest was peach. He also had on a pair of 'stunna shades'. Mina's dress was an orange, strapless Veruci model. Since she was pregnant, it made her look like a big pumpkin. Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver all went over there to see Shadow. The girls just went around talking to some of their friends.

"Glad you could make it, Shadow," said Silver. "Nice shades."

"Now what kind of example would I be setting to these future 'Shadows' if I didn't show up to my senior prom," he said gleefully.

"Hey, Mina," said Sonic.

"Hello, guys. You look glamorous," she said.

"How long have you been here?" asked Knuckles.

"For about thirty minutes. We just came out here to get something to eat," said Mina. In front of Mina were two plates of devoured remains. Mina had stripped all the meat on her chicken bones clean. It was obviously one of her craving attacks.

After a few more words with Shadow, they all met back up with their dates and entered the gym. The lights were all out in the gym except for a few side lights that were plugged in. The only main source of light they had was a huge, colorful ball with a light in it that projected various colorations of light around the gym. It was basically a colored disco ball. Despite this, there was still enough light to see where everyone was standing on and off the dance floor. Windy Valley Angels produced a soft, classy beat for the students to dance to. Coach Vector was one of the chaperones. He stood in the corner with his arms crossed. He actually wasn't paying much attention to the music for he had headphones on. He was listening in on the sports station.

As soon as they were all in the gym, the three couples split up. Silver and Tikal went onto the dance floor to dance. Sonic and Amy went over to a table on the right side of the dance floor. Knuckles and Rouge went over to a table on the left. Rouge pulled out her camera and set it up. She set it for auto timer and set it on the table. She wrapped an arm around Knuckles and smiled. Knuckles just gave off a small smirk. The picture took.

"Why didn't you smile?" asked Rouge.

"I did," he said.

"You call that smiling? I've seen people on death row that looked happier than you."

"You know that I don't do big, wide smiles. It's just not me."

"Couldn't you smile for just one picture? Pretty please!" pleaded Rouge in a babyish manner.

Knuckles couldn't help himself. That and when she would act seductively towards him gets him every time. Knuckles rearranged his face. It kept getting wider and wider until it finally formed a smile. Rouge laughed at his expression. It was to die for. He looked terrible, but since he went through all that trouble to do it, she wouldn't tease him……… until tomorrow.

Rouge set up her camera again and wrapped both arms around Knuckles. He, in return, put an arm around her waist. In a few seconds, the camera flashed the picture. He and Rouge both looked at the picture after it was taken. It wasn't half bad, but Knuckles' smile would scare little kids.

"This is going on Facebook," she said.

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Silver and Tikal were moving with the others as they danced to the music. Tikal, being a dancer and all, taught Silver how to dance with a girl. Before that, Silver had no rhythm. It took some time, but he finally picked it up and was doing very well. As the song came to an end, Silver kneeled over. Dancing was harder than it looked. He was trying so hard to keep up with Tikal that he overworked himself. Tikal laughed. He was supposed to be a big, strong jock, but he's tired from one dance with her.

"You're already tired?" she asked.

"Baby, you move a little too fast for me. If you slowed it down a bit, I wouldn't be so tired. I feel like I just ran some drills in football practice," said Silver.

The band started playing another song. Silver walked away from the floor.

"Give me a minute, okay."

Tikal shook her head at her kneeling boyfriend. What a baby!

It took Silver a few breathers, but he was ready to get back in there with Tikal. She had went over to talk to Rouge while Silver got his energy back. When he was fully recharged, he was going back to Tikal. As he was going, his eyes were suddenly covered by someone.

"Guess who?" said the voice.

Silver smiled. He knew exactly who it was.

"I'm glad you could make it, Blaze," said Silver.

Blaze removed her hands from over his eyes to reveal herself. Her dress was maroon. Silver turned to face her and she gave him a hug.

"Hey, I want to thank you for inviting me. It feels like high school all over again," she said.

Tikal was oblivious to Blaze at first. Then, she looked over to where she last saw Silver and noticed that he was not alone. Because of the lack of ample lighting, Tikal couldn't make out who it was right away. She could, however, see that the figure was wearing a dress.

"That had better not be who I think it is," said Tikal. She got up and hurried herself over to Silver. The closer she got, the more it seemed like who she feared it was. It was HER.

"Blaze!" she said. She walked over and basically snatched up Silver.

"Look who it is, Tikal," she said.

Tikal just stared at her.

"Let's get things straight. Silver is mine. You had your chance a long time ago, but he's mine now. So step, bitch!" said Tikal.

Blaze's eyebrow raised.

All of a sudden, a debonair fox came over to Blaze with a two glasses of punch in his hand. He was dressed in a pinstripe red suit. His coloring was just a little brighter than Tails'.

"Here you are, Blaze," he said.

Blaze took the fox by the head and laid a deep, passionate kiss right on his lips. The fox's eyes got real big as if he was surprised by it. After about five seconds, Blaze released him and took a glass of punch from him. She turned towards Tikal and Silver and took a sip of it.

"You were saying," she interjected.

Tikal was at a loss of words.

"I..I..I'm sorry I accused you of trying to steal Silver from me. I guess that I just feel so lucky to have him in my life that I just lose it sometimes.

"It's okay. I completely understand. Silver's worth the trouble," she said. "By the way, this is my 'boyfriend', Fox McCloud."

"It's nice to meet you both," said Fox.

Silver turned to Tikal. "You must know that I'd never put anyone else before you. Not even my friends because I love you, Tikal," said Silver.

Silver's words lifted Tikal a bit. She was feeling so silly after thinking that about Blaze.

"I love you, too," she said. "Why don't we go get our picture taken now?"

"Let's." Silver took Tikal by the hand and led her back to the corridor to the photographer, leaving Blaze and Fox alone.

"Uhh, why'd you tell them that we were dating?" asked Fox.

"Because I care about Silver too much to have to beat his girlfriend's ass," she said.

"Oh, but you didn't have to kiss me to do that. Why'd you do that?" he asked, grinning.

"Shut up, Fox."

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As Silver and Tikal went into the corridor, they saw Shadow standing alone.

"Hey, Shad, where's Mina?" Silver asked.

"She's in the bathroom, bent over the toilet bowl. I think it's morning sickness," he said.

"But it's 9:00 at night," said Tikal.

"I don't know, okay. She's been in there for half an hour. We even had to stop our picture because she had to hurl," he said.

Silver looked at Tikal and shrugged. "Take care, Shadow," he said and walked over to the photographer.

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Sonic and Amy had just gotten off the dance floor. They were having the time of their lives. That is until they saw two eyesores coming up towards them. They were Sally and Scourge. Amy couldn't believe that Sally was still dating that jerk. Sure, he was cute, but he was so full of himself. Maybe that's why he and Sally got along well. Sally's dress was top of the line. It had been imported from Italy. Every seam was fixed perfectly down to the last detail. Even Amy admitted that it was a pretty dress. It was colored champagne and was designed by the great fashion designer, Alonzo Van Buren.

"Hey there, Sonic, Amy," said Sally as she approached the table where Sonic and Amy had sat themselves.

"Hey, Sally," replied Sonic.

Amy just looked at her and wondered what damage she would try to do to Sonic's and her relationship this time. She still hadn't forgotten about what Sally had said.

"Excuse me for a second," said Amy. She got up and left out of the gym.

Sally signaled with her eyes around the way to Julie-Su, who had been hidden the whole time in the midst of the dance floor.

"So, Sonic, how have things been for you and Amy?" asked Sally innocently.

Sally talked small talk to Sonic, making sure that he didn't turn his head to look around. Julie-Su had walked over to the table without Sonic noticing and placed a cupcake in the chair where Amy was sitting. Then, she quietly sneaked off.

"Well, Scourge and I are going to enjoy our prom now. Take care of yourself," said Sally. She got up from the chair that she was sitting in.

"Have fun with my sloppy seconds," said Scourge.

"And you do the same with mine," replied Sonic.

Sally scoffed before taking Scourge by the hand and storming off with Scourge right alongside her.

Sonic kicked back in his chair. He still hadn't noticed the cupcake. Amy returned in a matter of moments.

"So what did she want?" asked Amy.

"Nothing as usual," he replied.

Amy went over to her chair and stood over it for a few moments. Unfortunately for her, she was facing the dance floor rather than her chair. Plus, the light was dimmed, meaning that no one could see the cupcake. Amy took her seat. Splat. It got her good right in the butt. She jumped up and there was a giant icing stain on the back of her dress.

"Oh my god!" yelled Amy.

"What's the matter?" Sonic asked.

Amy turns around and allows Sonic to see the cupcake stuck to her posterior. Sonic pulls the paper part off.

"Why'd you sit on this?" he asked.

"I didn't sit on it on purpose. It was in my chair when I got back in here," she replied angrily.

"Who could have done it?" he asked. "Sally and Scourge was sitting here talking to me the whole time."

As they were accessing the problem, Sally sat over in a corner snickering with Scourge.

"Can you believe that the little slut actually sat in it? What a sleaze!" said Sally.

Amy was practically in tears. Her prom dress was ruined.

All of a sudden, Knuckles and Rouge came over after they saw Amy throwing a fit. A few other students were also staring, but they didn't matter to Amy. It wasn't that visible at the moment, but sooner or later, people would see the truth.

"What's the matter with Amy?" asked Rouge.

"Sally put some cupcake on my dress," she said.

"Where is she? I'm sure that Julie-Su had something to do with it. I'ma stomp those bitches out right here. They can't take no for an answer so they just try to break us up any way they can," said Rouge.

"Never mind them. If you go making trouble with them, they'll have you thrown out," said Knuckles, taking Rouge by the arm. "Besides, we haven't taken our pictures yet that I'm not smiling on."

This made Rouge chuckle a little and dissolved some of her rage.

"Okay, I won't hurt them…. yet, but we've got to get that stain out. Let me get Tikal and we're going to get that stain out."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tails and Cream walked out of the movie at 10:00 P.M. It was getting late, and Tails thought that he really should be heading back home, but since Sonic wasn't going to be home for quite some time, he had all the time that he needed for some joyriding. When he and Cream got into the car, he eased the car into gear, and backed out of the parking space. Then, he drove out of the parking lot. Instead of going straight to Cream's house, Tails took the long way home. He got onto the main highway that took Cream straight to her home, but he decided to take a detour through Emerald Avenue. Tails was having fun driving. It was such a rush to him to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive high speeds. No sooner than he turned off Emerald Avenue and onto Sunshine Boulevard, he saw flashing red and blue lights.

"Oh no," said Tails. He pulled to the side of the road.

An officer got out of the car. He was a bit overweight. As he approached the car, Tails' heart began to beat fast. Then faster and faster as the cop got closer. The only thing that he really feared was what Sonic would say when he found out.

When the officer reached Tails' window, he let the window down. The officer was a brown dog. He looked like Scooby-Doo.

"License and registration please," said the cop in a stern matter.

Tails reached over into the glove compartment and retrieved the insurance papers. Lucky for him, Sonic kept the registration in the car at all times. Then, he pulled out his learner's permit and handed it to the cop.

"You know that you ran that stop sign back there, right?" the cop asked.

"I did? My apologies."

He looked at the learner's permit.

"Is she twenty-five?" asked the cop, eyeing Cream.

"No sir. She's fifteen," said Tails.

"According to the law, you can't be driving with a learner's permit without an adult over the age of twenty-four," he said.

The guy pulled out his ticket pad and began writing Tails a ticket. Then, he looked at the insurance.

"Sonic the Hedgehog? Is this the same Sonic the Hedgehog that plays for Station Square High?" he asked.

Tails nodded. "Yes, sir. He's my brother."

"They had a heck of a season. Me and the boys in blue caught a few of the games. They went to the playoffs, didn't they?" asked the cop.

"They went, but they lost to the Robotropolis Reploids in the second round."

The cop sighed. "Well, you can't win them all." He tore off the ticket and tore it in half. "This time, I'll let you off with a warning, but the next time, you won't be so lucky. You and your lady take care."

Tails' heart rate all of the sudden went back to normal. He gently put the car in gear and drove off.

"Guess we got lucky," said Cream.

"I guess so. Since I've already been pulled over once tonight, I'd better get you on home," he said.

"Okay, I understand. I had a great time tonight," she said. She leant over her seat and gave Tails a peck on the cheek. Tails lightly blushed.

In a few minutes, Tails turned into Cream's driveway.

"Thanks for taking me out," she said.

"You're my girl. It's what I do," he said. 

Cream smiled. She opened the door and got out. She waved goodbye to him and headed for her house. Tails watched her as she headed into the house. Then, he pulled out of the driveway and headed home.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_11:15 P.M._

Amy, Rouge, and Tikal came out of the bathroom. They had gotten all of the icing off of Amy's dress, but the stain was still visible.

"298.54. All gone to waste," said Amy.

"Don't worry about it. They're going to get theirs in the end," said Rouge.

The guys were all sitting with Shadow and Mina. The girls went over there, trying to avoid eye contact with Mina.

"Are you okay?" asked Sonic.

"I'm fine. I still got you," said Amy in a low voice, indicating that she was definitely not okay.

"Good because it's time for us to take our prom pictures," said Sonic.

They and Knuckles and Rouge had not gotten their pictures taken yet and the photographer was about to leave.

"Wait!" called out Knuckles.

He and Rouge ran over to the photography area and laid the money for the pictures on the stand where they saw the other money was. They quickly got their pose together.

The photographer sighed and mumbled something under his breath. He had to take his camera back out and set it back up. He finally got it together and snapped the picture. Knuckles and Rouge did a different pose and got it snapped as well. After that, they left the photography spot. Thinking that it was finally over, he reached for his 'off' button only to be met by two more teenagers that decided to procrastinate. Sonic and Amy put their money on the stand and stood in the photography area. Amy made sure that the stain was out of sight and smiled. Sonic just looked at the camera. After taking the picture, they left the photography area. Seeing that no more teens were around, the photographer gave out a relieving sigh. It had been a long night and he was ready to go home.

After the pictures were all taken, all of them, including Shadow and Mina, went back into the gym. They had made it just in time because the principal had taken the stage. It was obvious to them what time it was.

"Okay, students. You've voted. Now, I'd like to introduce you to your prom king and queen, but first, I'd like to introduce the runner-ups." The principal tore open a green envelope.

"I hate to disappoint you all, but I'm going to be prom queen," said Sally. She and Scourge came up to stand by Sonic and Amy.

"The runner-ups are Flame the Fox and Sally Acorn," said the principal.

A lot of people clapped, but Sally just stood there with her mouth agape. Sonic and Amy cracked up laughing at Sally's expression. Sally eventually wiped that hideous look off of her face and put on a fake smile. Then, she went up to take a bow with Flame. Flame, on the other hand, seemed very happy to be runner-up prom king.

"And now, the prom king and queen are…." She opened a golden envelope this time. "Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat!!!"

A loud cheer could be heard as Knuckles and Rouge took to the stage. Their friends all clapped their hardest. Eve Mina worked up a small clap. The only one who wasn't clapping was Sally. She looked on with envy as Rouge was given her tiara, which looked even better than her homecoming one. Knuckles was given a red crown and a cape, which matched his tuxedo perfectly. He and Rouge took a bow.

They all danced once the music resumed. _Here and Now _by Luther Vandross was the song the band played. Most of the teens were slow dancing. Those who weren't were observing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Sonic and Amy…_

Sonic and Amy slow danced right in the middle of everyone. Amy didn't seem like she was into it, though. Her movements didn't match Sonic's at all. At one moment, Amy almost tripped Sonic up.

"Oops. Sorry, Sonic," said Amy.

"It's okay, but tell me what's bothering you. Is it the stain? I'm sure it's barely noticeable now," said Sonic.

"Nothing's bothering me," said Amy.

Sonic just looked at her. She was terrible at lying to him.

"Okay, so maybe something is bothering me. Sonic, how are we going to make this work with you going off to college next year and leaving me back here? I know that once you see those college girls, you'll surely forget about me," she said, almost in tears.

She lowered her head, but Sonic quickly lifted it up.

"What would make you think that? Like I already told you, I love you, and no one can take that away from me," he said.

"Give it a rest, Sonic. I'm not the good girl you think I am. Before we were dating, I snuck a kiss from you while you were drunk. I just wanted you so badly that night that I didn't even care about whether you wanted me to or not," she said. "Go on to college and forget about me."

"Amy, even if I tried, I could never forget you. You're special to me. I've never lied to you or taken you for granted. I'm always a 100 true hedgehog to you whether you believe it or not. Amy, all I'm asking for you to do is trust me. Trust me the way that I trust you not to cheat on me when I leave here," he said.

"I won't cheat on you. I will be faithful to you," said Amy with her head on Sonic's chest.

Sonic carefully caressed her sparkling quills with his palm. Then, he held her close."And I will be faithful to you as well."

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_Shadow and Mina…_

This was only Shadow and Mina's third dance of the night. Because of Mina's condition, she had to take it easy. It was painstaking at first, but Mina finally accepted the fact that she was pregnant with Shadow's baby girl. Mina and Shadow were moving slower than all the rest, but it really didn't seem like it because everyone was slow dancing.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" asked Mina.

"As long as I'm with you and you're with me, how can I not be enjoying myself?"

"Well, I know that this is your senior prom and all. I just thought that maybe you'd want more excitement," she said.

Shadow laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Mina, looking at him weirdly.

"Baby, I'm Shadow the Hedgehog. Since I was in preschool, I've been having fun. I was the only kid in third grade to have the teacher crushing on me. I've been with girls from all aspects of life: rich ones, tall ones, short ones, poor ones, thin ones, thick ones, extra thick ones, transvestites on accident, ugly ones, and pretty ones. This is who I am." (LOL at the last line.)

"What's your point?" she asked.

"I've had plenty of excitement. What I haven't had is a girl that I wanted to be true to. I've found that in you. It doesn't matter what we do as long as you're there with me to do it," said Shadow.

"Shadow, I don't want you to feel trapped by the baby. If you don't want to be with me, I completely understand," said Mina.

"It's not the baby that's making me love you. It's everything about you: your smile, your warmth, your face, your personality. I honestly don't see why you hang out with Mina and Julie-Su," said Mina.

"Don't go dissing my friends. Those are my girls. They've had my back since 4th grade, and I wouldn't trade them for any other friends," said Mina.

"You have bad tastes in friends," said Shadow.

"Shut up!" said Mina while giggling. She playfully hit Shadow in the chest.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_11:37 P.M._

After a couple of dances, prom was officially over. Although, it wasn't officially over until 12:00 A.M., everybody started ducking out early. It just wasn't a teen thing to show up on time or stay for entire events. A bunch of kids would leave, but still a few would remain until the bitter end. Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze, Fox, Silver, Tikal, Shadow, and Mina all stood in the corridor. Flame left directly after getting his recognition. He had to put the finishing touches on his party.

"So are you ready to head on over to Flame's?" asked Amy.

"I haven't been to a high school party in a while. I guess that I'll come," said Blaze.

"You can count Tikal and I in as well," said Silver.

"Actually, I've got to take Mina home. She needs her rest with her having my baby and all," said Shadow. "I don't think that I can make it."

"Well, Rouge and I can't make it either. We've made other plans," said Knuckles.

"What do you two have to do that is so important?" asked Tikal.

"Never mind what we're doing. You just have fun with Silver on the yacht," said Rouge with a light attitude. Tikal knew not to get her riled up and decided to back off.

Although no one had seen Julie-Su all evening, she was seen standing in the corridor in front of the fountain with a grey echidna, who was presumed to be her date. The echidna was an exact copy of Knuckles except his quills were longer and banded with red rings.

Sally was also there with them. As the crew all headed for the exit, Sally approached them. She was ignoring Amy and glaring at Rouge.

"Rouge, you know that you didn't win that fair and square. I'm having a recount Monday, and we're going to see who deserves to wear that beautiful tiara," she said. She turned around.

Amy was still angry with Sally from staining her dress. While Sally talked to Rouge, Amy walked over and dropped a bottle of her lip gloss onto the floor. Sally, not seeing the gloss, walked directly on top of the gloss. It tripped her up. Since she was in heels, it was harder for her to get her balance. She tumbled directly into Julie-Su, and both girls screamed as they fell into the fountain. Water splashed everywhere. Sally and Julie-Su were soaking wet. There was a big crowd forming around them. Everyone, including their dates and Mina, were having a fun time laughing. Falling into water is just a classic.

"Hey, Sally, the recount says **You Lose!**" said Rouge as she was in tears from laughter.

"If you ruin my dress, I'm going to ruin yours," said Amy.

Sally and Julie-Su were as embarrassed as two people can get. They got out of the fountain with their dresses wilting on their bodies. Then, they hightailed it out of there to avoid further embarrassment even though it was no longer possible.

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_1:00 A.M._

Knuckles lay back on a bed watching TV with Rouge in his arms. He and Rouge had went down to the Cubic Inn and rented a suite a week back. They had changed to more comfortable clothing. When they had reached their room, they immediately took off their clothes and jumped in the Jacuzzi that was in their suite. The bubbles relaxed and soothed every pore in their bodies. As soon as they finished, they came out and lay on the soft, king-sized bed. Knuckles was wearing his pajama bottoms but no shirt. Rouge was only wearing one of Knuckles' t-shirts but no bottoms.

"Tonight was magical, and I'm glad that I got to share it with someone special," said Rouge.

"The time I spend with you is special in its own way," said Knuckles.

Rouge smiled. "Keep going."

"There's no need to. You already know how I feel about you. You're everything I'm not and some of the things I am."

"I know it, but I like to hear it once in a while," she said.

Knuckles and Rouge sat in an awkward silence for a minute. It didn't seem like it was ever going to end as they watched STARZ. Finally, Knuckles spoke up.

"Rouge, I love you, and I think that it's time to take our relationship up to the next step."

"Oh? How so?" she asked. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to play the 'innocent girl' role.

"Well, it is prom night, and I've been doing some thinking. I love you, Rouge, and I think that we should make love," said Knuckles.

He had been doing a lot of thinking about this and decided that tonight would be the night for him to see how she felt about it. Rouge didn't say anything at first. She just lay there, pretending that this came as a shock. Rouge was actually wondering why he waited so long. She concluded that it was due to his respect for her.

Knuckles was about to speak again but was cut off by Rouge. She sat up and started kissing Knuckles with passion. Knuckles returned the kiss passionately. He was ready for it.

Knuckles then lay on top of her, still kissing her madly. He reached down for 'his' shirt tail and pulled it over her head. Now, she laid there in her bra and thong. She looked up at Knuckles. His physically satisfying body was over her.

"What if I end up like Mina?" she asked.

Knuckles rubbed her body, which made her tingle. Then, he simply replied, "You won't. He then went up and began kissing her on his neck. She put her hands on his back as he touched her sensitive spot. As he was doing that, she helped him out of him out of his bottoms and he was in his boxers. Then came the highlight.

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_I don't think I need to explain what the highlight is. I do have to stop there because of the T rating. Damn that thing. I finally get to a ripe lemon and I have to just throw it away. (sighs). Well, I hope you liked this chapter. It is longer than the others and contained a lot of things that I never thought I'd end up writing. Thanks for helping me write this chapter. Luv4Knux, Sonicliveson, Knuxnbat, Majin, Nintendo Mania, and Reploid the Echidna, you've all been with me since the beginning. Although I'm not finished yet, this one is for you. You heard me. I'm not finished yet. Stay tuned. For now, I'm out._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	16. Last Day

_I'm back at last. You know you've been gone a long time when you have to read your own story to see what it's about. Sorry it took me so long to update, but I had another story to write. A lot of you might not have seen it because it's rated M. It's called Emerald Avenue. Check it out when you get a chance. For now, enjoy the next piece to High School Years. (Applause) _

_

* * *

_Sonic took a deep breath as he peered through the window of his home. After today, the glamorous years of high school will be over. He, Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow, and Sally are going on to bigger and better things as they are about to embark on a whole new journey as freshmen again. Before that, however, he's going to enjoy what little high school he has left.

Sonic walked downstairs to be greeted by his two-tailed brother, who was enjoying some Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Tails had changed his appearance again. Now, he was back to normal, except for the bifocals. He preferred contacts now.

"What happened to your clothes?" asked Sonic.

Tails gave Sonic an awkward stare. "I'm wearing them. I wouldn't just come to breakfast naked, Sonic."

Sonic chuckled. "No, I mean the baggy clothes that you had Shadow and Knuckles find for you."

"They're not me. This evening, I'm giving them to Goodwill," replied Tails.

Sonic walked over and petted Tails on the head, signaling his approval. Then, he found the toaster and slipped two pop-tarts in it. After having their breakfast, Sonic and Tails left their house.

* * *

School was pretty exciting this morning. Everyone seemed to be getting along. A lot of seniors were going around and getting people to sign their senior memory books. The rest of them were just doing some normal soliciting.

As Sonic and Tails pulled up in the parking lot, they saw Shadow. Over the weekend, he had gotten his bike adjusted. Now, his pipes were louder and there was a lot of chrome on it. Around his bike, a group of females were giving him their senior memory books to sign. They were signing his, too, along with their phone number, address, and the best possible time to stop by.

Shadow got off his bike and went over to Sonic as he exited his car.

"Shadow, you never change," said Tails.

"Hey, I'm not trying to be this sexy, but it's in my bloodline. Don't worry, though. I'm not interested in any of them," said Shadow.

"Good because I heard that Tracy over there got V.D. I'd keep my pants on around her," said Sonic.

Shadow looked over at Tails. He looked like a reject from a Bryant Gumbel convention.

"Tails, did you get dressed in the dark this morning because you're wearing those geeky clothes again," said Shadow.

"No. I just decided to be true to myself. The truth is that I'm a geek, and everyone is just going to accept that," said Tails.

Sonic was looking very proud of his little brother. One thing that every person learns in high school is his personal identity whether it is geek, jock, Goth, grinder, snob, or a popular kid.

The bell rung that signaled the beginning of the last day of school. As Sonic was about to enter the school, he looked back and saw a red Mustang with loud music playing speeding into the parking lot. Sonic chuckled to himself.

"Same old Knuckles," he whispered to himself.

* * *

Everyone knows that the last day of school is hardly any work. Usually, it's just final exams and such. After the first period was over, it was break time. On the last day, break time was used to empty out one's locker.

Shadow opened his locker to find it just as he left it yesterday. Junky. Shadow had pieces of paper scattered all around his locker with girls' phone numbers on them. Even though he was going steady with Mina, he saw no harm in calling other girls for friendly chats as long as Mina doesn't find out. He also had a few soda cans in there, a football, and his letterman's jacket. After about five minutes of tossing things into his backpack, Shadow's locker was completely empty. Knuckles walked over just as he was finishing up.

"We're still going to the pool party after school, right?" asked Knuckles.

"Yeah. I'll be there," said Shadow.

"Cool. It's our last party as high schoolers. We have a duty to attend. Besides, it's always refreshing to see girls in bikinis," said Knuckles.

As they were talking, Sonic came running by.

"What's up, guys! Are you ready for the pool party?" asked Sonic.

"Yeah. We were just discussing that," said Shadow.

Silver joined them soon after Sonic.

"I can't believe that I'm seeing you without Tikal," said Knuckles.

"We're not always together," said Silver.

"Yes you are. Whenever you're not in class or at home, you're with her. Hell, we hardly see you anymore," said Sonic.

"Well, I'm here now," said Silver with a little anxiety.

The other three laughed at Silver as he blushed.

"Screw all of you," said Silver.

"Alright. Leave Silver alone. Who knows when we'll see him again," said Knuckles with a snicker.

They all began cracking up again.

After a few more moments of cracking up with Silver, they all began to walk the halls. The break was almost over. Soon, it would be time for school to end since the last day was always only half a day. The bell finally rung to signal the last class of the year.

"Man, this physics test is about to kick my ass," said Sonic.

"That's how I feel about my English test. Our whole exam is on Shakespeare. I'm going to bomb it," said Silver.

The guys were headed for class when they heard some noises coming from the bathroom.

"Will you guys back off?" said a voice. It was Tails' voice.

Sonic ran over to the bathroom with Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver behind him. Inside the bathroom, a group of freshmen were surrounding Tails. They pushed him around like he was nothing.

"What a geek! He tries wearing normal clothes but gives them up for his nerdy polo shirts and khakis. Let's get him," said a silver fox.

The silver fox raised his fist.

"What are you all doing in here?" asked Sonic.

"We're just beating up a geek, Sonic. He thinks he's cool like us, but he's a fake who needs to be taught a lesson," said the silver fox.

Sonic walked right between them and stood next to Tails. "This 'geek' happens to be my brother," said Sonic.

The silver fox saw Knuckles, Silver, and Shadow standing behind him. His other three friends froze in their tracks.

"We didn't know that he was 'your' brother; otherwise we would've left him alone. Let's go, guys," said the silver fox.

Suddenly, Knuckles grabbed the silver fox. "Not so fast. Sonic, we never really initiated the freshmen into high school, did we?"

Sonic chuckled evilly. "No. We didn't. The rest of you can get out of here, but we've got to teach your leader a lesson about what happens when someone crosses Miles Tails Prower."

The other three ran out of the bathroom at high speeds. One of them even broken an old school record; Sonic, however, had broken the record earlier this year.

Silver opened the stall door. Knuckles lifted the silver fox by his waist and turned him upside down.

"No! Please, I'm sorry," said the silver fox.

"Too late," said Sonic.

Knuckles held his head in the toilet bowl as Shadow flushed it. The silver fox was kicking and squirming all over, but Knuckles kept his body in his grasp until the toilet had flushed. This was the silver fox's first swirly. It wasn't fun. Knuckles dropped the fox onto the floor and walked off.

"See you around, freshman," said Sonic as they all walked out of the restroom.

"Thanks, bro. I thought I was a goner," said Tails.

"Hey, it's what brothers do," said Sonic with a smile.

"Well, what about next year when you're all gone?" asked Tails.

"Well, we won't all be gone next year. I'll still be around to help you out," said Silver.

"Thanks, guys. Well, we better get to class before we're all la-"

(ring)

The tardy bell had rung.

"-te" finished Tails.

* * *

They all arrived at the pool party at precisely 1:00 P.M. School was officially out. For once, Flame wasn't hosting a party. This time, Sally was the host. She had invited only the graduating class, but it seemed that people from every grade had showed up. Sonic wore a pair of green swimming trunks, Knuckles wore black, Shadow wore red, Silver wore blue, and Tails wore yellow ones. All of the guys went shirtless. You could see the chiseling results from football on the four guys. Tails just had a slender upper body since he didn't play. Knuckles, on the other hand, had the upper body of a body builder. Rouge couldn't wait to see it wet again.

Sally had rented a waterslide for the occasion as well. Upon arriving, the group could hear Flame's yell as he slid down the slide and landed in the pool of water at the base. The girls all had on their two piece bathing suits that maximized their ASSets. Tikal and Rouge wore the tops that were tied in the back so that all you had to do was pull on it to take it off. Silver was almost tempted to do it. Tails couldn't stop gawking over Cream's developing body. She always stayed so covered up. This was the most that he'd seen of her body. Knuckles, of course, had already seen Rouge; so he wasn't really looking at her. He had his eyes on Julie-Su and Sally, who were walking over. Julie-Su's bathing suit top only covered the nipple and cuffed the lower part of her breasts.

"I don't know what you bitches are doing at my pool party, but come on in," said Sally.

"Thank you, Sally," said Amy. She almost gagged saying that.

The guys all ran for the deep end of the pool except for Sonic. He walked. Knuckles did a somersault into the water. Silver did a back somersault into the water. Tails jumped in and landed on his back. He floated on top of the water. Sonic stood on the edge of the pool, staring at the others.

"Come on in, Sonic. The water's fine," said Knuckles.

"You guys go ahead. I'm just going to watch," he said.

Shadow walked by Sonic. He pushed Sonic with his right hand and Sonic fell into the pool. Everyone began laughing as Sonic frantically tried to get out.

"I can't swim!" he yelled as he tried to stay afloat. Knuckles, still laughing, dragged Sonic over to three feet of water, where he could stand. Sonic continued to struggle. "I'm drowning. I'm drowning."

"Sonic, you're standing up," said Knuckles.

Sonic looked down at his feet. They were at the bottom of the pool. Everyone, including Amy and the other girls that were watching, began to laugh uncontrollably at Hydrophobic Sonic.

"You guys suck," said Sonic.

Knuckles headed back for the deep end.

"You coming?" he asked.

"No. I'm just going to stand right here," said Sonic.

"Suit yourself." Knuckles swam back over to the rest of the people and left Sonic's head floating over there by itself. Sonic just stood there for a second, watching the others have fun with each other. Suddenly, the water felt a little warmer as he felt two hands being wrapped around him.

"Poor Sonikku. Did they leave you here all by yourself?" asked Amy.

"I can't swim. I don't know why Shadow pushed me in. He knows I can't swim. I'll get him back, though," said Sonic.

"Do you want me to teach you how?" asked Amy.

"I don't know," said Sonic. He was getting out of the water. Amy knew that it was time for tough love.

"Listen here, Sonic. Either you get back over here this instant or I'll hold your head underwater until the bubbles stop," said Amy.

"You wouldn't dare," said Sonic.

Amy grabbed Sonic by the hand and slowly began pulling him towards the back of the pool. She had a lot of might when she was angry; Sonic feared for his life.

"Okay, okay. You win. Teach me, babe," said Sonic. His entire head was almost underwater.

Amy smiled and dragged him back to three feet.

* * *

On the side of Sally's house, she, Julie-Su, Mina, and about five other girls were busy filling up buckets with water balloons. They were about to unleash a barrage of balloons on everyone there because not everyone there was wet. Some people hadn't even brought any swim wear. Mina was understandable but the others had no excuse. No one comes to a pool party and stays dry. They also had water guns.

After filling up their balloons and guns, the girls ran from the side of the house and started bombing everyone with balloons and rounds of water. Julie-Su saw Rouge sitting in one of the beach chairs. She threw a water balloon at Rouge but missed. The balloon did spray her with some water when it burst. Rouge jumped up to be met with a water gun nozzle at the back of her head.

"Now, you're all washed up, Rouge," said Julie-Su.

A hand reached over Julie-Su's back and grabbed the water gun just as she was getting ready to spray. Rouge felt the gun be lifted from her head and turned around. Knuckles was standing with the water gun held high in his hand.

"Give me my gun back, Knuckles," said Julie-Su.

"What's the magic word?" he asked.

"Now!" she replied.

Knuckles made a buzzer sound. "Wrong answer." He tossed the gun over her head to Rouge. Rouge pulled the trigger and water went right into her hair. Julie-Su screamed as she ran off.

Knuckles laughed as she watched her run off.

"What's so funny?" asked Rouge. She had a devilish smirk on her face. "I saw you looking at her when we arrived."

"Uh, see what had happened was…" started Knuckles. Rouge shot water right into his dreads. He ran off with Rouge chasing him. He jumped into the pool. Rouge stood on the edge of the pool with the gun pointed at the water. She looked down, waiting for Knuckles to resurface. A second later, Knuckles did resurface with a splash. Rouge shot him in the face, but it had no effect because Knuckles already had his eyes closed. He reached for the gun and pulled it and Rouge into the pool. Rouge resurfaced with hair in her face. She and Knuckles both began to laugh and gave each other a kiss.

Shadow grabbed a water balloon out of one of the buckets. He looked around and spotted Tikal sitting on Silver's lap in a chair. Shadow got this evil smirk on his face as he threw a water balloon directly at them. It popped right on Tikal's chest, and water went everywhere. Both of them got wet, but most of the water was lodged in Tikal's top.

"Shadow!" yelled Silver.

Shadow started laughing at Silver. He was laughing so that he didn't even hear Sonic run up behind him and dunk a water balloon directly on top of his head. Sonic ran off after doing it. Silver and Tikal began to laugh at him.

"Sonic, I'm going to get you back," yelled Shadow.

Meanwhile, Tails and Cream were on the water slide. After making it to the top, they met up with Flame. This was his seventeenth trip down the slide, but he was still as energetic as ever.

"Two tails, watch this," said Flame. Flame actually ran down the sliding end and did a diving bomb into the two feet of water at the base of the slide.

Tails and Cream both applauded him when he looked back at them. Cream sat in front of Tails at the top of the water slide. Water was flowing down the slide. Tails got very close upon Cream's soft body. He blushed upon the feeling as they headed down the slide and crashed at the base. Water went everywhere. Cream laughed as she got up. Suddenly, a water balloon impacted the back of her head and she fell forward on top of Tails. For a while, they just laid there staring at each other with blushes until they heard someone say: "No humping on the water slide."

Cream hopped off of Tails. She turned around and saw Amy holding a pink water balloon. Tails looked over the edge of the pool and saw a hose pipe connected to a water outlet. It even had a spray gun attached. Tails crept over to the outlet and turned the nozzle. Amy threw the balloon at Cream but missed and hit Flame, who had just come down the slide again.

"Of course you know, this means war," said Flame. He ran out of the party, which really confused Amy and Cream. Could he have run home?

Tails ran up behind Amy and hit her with the spray gun. The impact caused her to fall into the base of the waterslide with Cream. Then, Tails proceeded into getting both of them very wet by continuously pelting them with water.

"Tails, I give up," said Cream through giggles, but Tails did not quit.

Sonic came up behind Tails and pushed him. He fell in with the girls. Amy and Cream jumped out. Cream grabbed the spray gun and started wetting Tails up.

Back on the other side of the pool, Knuckles and Shadow had grabbed two of the buckets that had water balloons in them and took them around to the side of the house. They filled them up halfway with water. Then, they came back around to the party. Silver and Tikal were looking over at Amy, Cream, and Tails. They didn't see Shadow and Knuckles run up behind them. They each dumped their bucket of water on Silver and Tikal's heads. Silver and Tikal were totally drenched. Silver's spines began to droop over his eyes. Their clothes were stuck to their bodies like glue. Shadow and Knuckles ran off after that. Silver and Tikal looked at each other and smirked. They disappeared soon after being drenched.

A minute later, Knuckles and Shadow were busy watching Sonic as he eagerly tried to swim. He WAS swimming, now but not very good. He was like a kid trying to learn how to ride a bike. He would get started and then stop from fear of going under. Shadow couldn't hold in his laughter. Knuckles started laughing after Shadow. He could have held it in, but when Shadow started laughing, he couldn't help himself.

"You guys are bastards," said Sonic, grabbing the edge of the pool. He looked behind them and smirked. "Now, you guys are wet bastards."

Shadow and Knuckles looked at each other in confusion. Suddenly, a bucket of water was thrown on Knuckles' head. Shadow tried to move out of the way but walked right up to Tikal, who threw a bucket of water on his head. Then, she placed the bucket on his head and pushed him into the pool.

"That's for throwing that balloon down my top," she said.

Shadow landed right next to Sonic. He removed the bucket from his head.

"Nice comeback," said Shadow.

In the distance, a siren could be heard. It seemed to be getting closer and closer until it could be seen. A fire truck pulled up into the pool area. The driver's door opened and Flame stepped out. He grabbed the hose pipe off the back of the truck and looked at his fellow classmates.

"I told you that I'd get you back. This is my graduation gift to you all," said Flame.

"Where the hell did he get a fire truck from?" asked Knuckles.

At that moment, Flame turned the nozzle and water with brute force emerged from the truck. He sprayed every inch of the pool and the surrounding areas, drenching everyone in sight. People were running and hiding as fast as they could but Flame continued to wet up the entire party.

After a few more hours, the party began to die down. As people began to leave, Sonic, Knuckles, and the rest all gathered together.

"So where do you want to go now?" asked Sonic.

"Someplace dry," said Knuckles.

"Spanky's?" suggested Tails.

"Let's go. Sonic's buying," said Shadow.

"Hey! Wait a minute, Shadow!" yelled Sonic.

* * *

_Here it is. The next chapter of this story is finally done. The final chapter will be up very soon. I'm ready to finish my masterpiece. I know it took me a long time to update, but I was busy graduating and such. That's right. Icy Knuckles has graduated. I was also having a little writer's block for a minute; so I decided to experience my last day of school this year for some ideas. No, I didn't give anyone a swirly, but I did go to a pool party on my last day of school. All but the fire truck thing happened at my pool party, too. Hope you enjoy._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	17. Graduation

I'm afraid that time has come

_I'm afraid that time has come. It's time for the closing chapter of my masterpiece. I just want to say thank you to all my supporters. At the time, I don't plan to do a sequel, but the good news is that I know what my next project is going to be. The wait won't be long. I promise._

_Thanks for having patience enough to allow me to finish my story._

"Sonic, hurry up. You're going to be late for your own graduation," said Sonia. Sonia stood at the door with her purse in her right hand. She had on a buttoned shirt and a job skirt. Manic was laid back on the couch, fiddling with his hair. He was wearing a black blazer with matching pants.

"I'm sure that he'll be right down," said Tails.

He was right. Within seconds, Sonic was speeding his way down the stairs in his royal blue cap and gown. It blended in perfectly with his skin. When looking at him from behind, it's hard to tell who's in the cap and gown/

"How do I look?" asked Sonic.

"You look like a graduate," said Manic from the couch. The other three gave him a confused look, but he ignored it and continued playing with his hair.

"Never mind your brother. You look great," said Sonia with a smile. "Smile!" Sonia pulled out her camera and snapped Sonic's picture. He was unready, and the flash hurt his eyes.

Sonic shook off the effect. "Alright. Let me grab my wallet and I'll be ready," replied Sonic.

"I guess I better get the truck started," said Manic. He lazily got off of the couch and went outside.

"Tails, come on," said Sonia.

"I'm going to wait on Sonic," he said.

Sonia went outside to the truck with Manic. As soon as Sonia was outside, Sonic came through the living room.

"Hey, Sonic, can we talk?" asked Tails.

"We can talk in the car," replied Sonic.

"No. This has to be said before you graduate and I have to say it to you in private," said Tails.

"Is it about Cream?" asked Sonic.

"No. It's about you. Before you graduate, I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Sonic was a little confused with the sudden gratitude.

"Sonic, ever since I came to live here with you, you've treated me like you've known me forever. Whenever I need something or someone, you always came through for me. You protected me just like your real little brother. I just wanted to say thank you for being the best foster brother ever," said Tails.

"Tails…" started Sonic. He couldn't find the right words; so instead of speaking, he gave Sonic his signature move followed by a small chuckle. Tails came closer and embraced Sonic. Sonic hugged him back and patted him on the back. They might have stayed like that forever if they hadn't heard Manic blowing the horn. They hurriedly went outside and got into Manic's Hummer H2.

* * *

At Knuckles' house he was coming down the stairs. Locke was standing down there with a long trench coat, hat, suit, and Stacy Adams shoes. In short, he looked something like an O.G.

"That's my boy," said Locke. "Why aren't you wearing your cap?"

"This hat is too damn small," said Knuckles.

"Didn't they measure your head when you filled out the order form?" asked Locke.

"Yeah. I measured an 18. This feels more like a 16," said Knuckles.

"Well, you have always had a big, swelled head. Even as a baby, your head was huge. Your mother and I used to watch you run around here with your head on your shoulder," said Locke with a chuckle.

He saw that Knuckles wasn't laughing and knew what was on his mind.

"Your mother would have loved to have been at your graduation, but…"

"Yeah, I know," said Knuckles. "Still, I'm still glad that you're here."

"I'm not going anywhere yet. There's still a few things I have to teach you," said Locke.

"I'm not ready to learn about constipation, rice pudding, and _Gunsmoke _yet, old man," said Knuckles with a smirk.

"Oh, so you got jokes."

"A couple."

"Well, let's stop joking around before they call your name and you miss it. Then, you'll have to go to high school for another four years," said Locke.

"So, now you want me to go back and finish up your years?" asked Knuckles.

"Okay, so I didn't finish high school. I didn't have a choice. I had duties to attend to that were more important than school, but you kids today don't have a thing to stop you from finishing school. That's why I kept pushing you. I want you to have a better education than I did. Son, I just want you to be a better man than I am," said Locke.

"I know and I will," said Knuckles. He dapped his father's fist. "Of course, that won't be hard to do. You'll soon have Alzheimer's Disease anyway."

"Very funny!" said Locke.

After their little talk, Locke and Knuckles left the house.

* * *

The graduation ceremony is being held in the school auditorium. The graduates would be sitting on the floor level of the auditorium while their families would sit up on the upper levels. As they all met up in the main hallway, the entire gang was there: Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Rouge, Silver, Amy, Tikal, Tails, Cream, and even Blaze had come out of a special request from Silver. The rest of their families had taken their seats.

"Well, the big day is finally here," said Silver.

"Only a few minutes more," said Cream.

"I can't wait to finally take off these heels. They hurt like hell," said Rouge.

"Don't you always wear heels?" asked Tikal.

"Yeah, but these feel weird. They wobble too much," replied Rouge.

"Poor baby," said Tikal.

"By the way, make sure to take plenty of pictures, Tikal," said Rouge.

"Don't worry. I will," she replied.

Amy giggled. "Well, we better get to our seats before we don't have any to get to," said Amy.

"Congratulations to all of you," said Blaze.

Then, all the nongraduate friends went into the auditorium. Tails, Cream, and Amy sat by Sonia and Manic. Silver, Tikal, and Blaze sat towards the front for the better view. Julie-Su and Mina were sitting in the middle row.

The audience began to quiet down as the graduate music was played. Sally was the third person to enter.

"That's my girl!" yelled Julie-Su as Sally entered the auditorium.

A little further down the line, Rouge entered the auditorium.

"That's MY girl!" yelled Tikal in the same fashion that Julie-Su had earlier.

Further down the line, Knuckles entered the auditorium, hoping that his cap didn't shoot off his head. It fit him like a skully. He could hear chants and uproar from all the underclass jocks that he played football with. Shadow was next. When he entered, nearly every female that was there that went to the school cheered. Mina looked a little pissed off by their response. She stood up after they had settled down.

"That's my baby's daddy!" she said very obnoxiously.

The rest of the people there looked at her funny. Embarrassed, Mina sat down.

Of all the Sonic crew, Sonic was the last to enter. They all took their places in front of their respective chairs. First, there was the pledge and the national anthem. Then, there was a small prayer. After that, all the graduates took their seat and the principal took the stand. He started rambling on and on about the class's achievements. (Keep reading and I'll mention some)

"Now, I have a brief announcement to make," said the principal. He signaled an egg-shaped human to stand up next to him. "This here is Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He will be taking over for me as head principal of Station Square High starting next year. I'm retiring." Everyone looked at the guy. The adolescents found it very hard to look at this man. There was something about him that was rotten. Shadow, Sonic, Rouge, and Knuckles were all snickering at the fact that the rest of them had to survive under his rule. Tails, Cream, Amy, Silver, and Tikal's faces all turned white. Dr. Robotnik took the stand.

"Citizens of Station Square, I hereby accept Principal Stroud's offer and will become the head principal of Station Square High for the following school years. I only ask that you all help me make a brighter future for all the young pupils that attend Station Square High." His voice made the audience's hair stand on ends. He only received a light applause.

The salutatorian and valedictorian addresses were made after the announcement.

"Without further ado, allow me to present the class of 2008 with their diplomas," said the principal. As he called each student's name, they shook hands with the superintendent of education and Principal Stroud and received their diplomas. All the cameras in the audience began to flash. Tikal, Amy, Cream, Mina, and Sonia pulled out their cameras as well.

**Diamond the Aardvark**

**Umbra the Aardvark**

**Sally Acorn**

_Further down the list…_

**Aquamarine the Badger**

**George the Bat**

**Rouge the Bat**

_Further down the list…_

**Borais the Eagle**

**Derek the Echidna**

**Knuckles the Echidna**

_Further down the list…_

**Saint the Hedgehog**

**Shadow the Hedgehog**

**Shawnna the Hedgehog**

**Silkk the Hedgehog**

**Sonic the Hedgehog**

_Further down the list…_

**And Domino the Wolf**

"Ladies and gentlemen, I wish these young adults a safe voyage into the real world to allow them to grow and show their true potential. We've taught them as best we can. Now, it's time for our seeds to blossom into the beautiful flowers that we want them to be. It's time to begin a new chapter in your lives. Take all that you've learned and put it to good use. Congratulations! Your high school years are over.

The students all took off their caps and tossed them into the air. Knuckles was more relieved than anybody. The cap was squeezing the blood out of his head.

So there you have it. They've graduated, but their lives and stories do not stop there. Let's take a look into the future and see how they all will turn out.

* * *

Sonic the Hedgehog goes off to college on an athletic scholarship for both football and track. He runs track on the global level. He also majored in music. After college, he and his brother was able to start a rock band, produce, sell, etc. In other words, all they saw were profits. He married Amy Rose, his high school sweetheart, at age 26. They had two spunky hedgehogs named Sondra and Ambient.

Miles Tails Prower kept his GPA up and graduated as the valedictorian of the class of 2011. He later goes off to college and becomes a very successful aeronautical engineer. His plane and jet designs earned him many Nobel prizes. Companies paid top dollar for his designs, which made him very wealthy. He married Cream the Rabbit when they were 28. Although they bore no children, Tails and Cream adopted a child named Branson Prower.

Knuckles the Echidna goes off to college on a football scholarship. He leads his team to win the National Conference three straight years. He gets drafted by the Central City Warriors and goes off to play pro ball. At the age of twenty-five, he marries Rouge the Bat. The following year, Knuckles had his first hybrid son. Unfortunately at the age of thirty-four, Knuckles suffered a career-ending injury to his knee. Fortunately because of his great talent and endorsements, Knuckles was grossly overpaid; so he had more than enough money to last him. He invested in a night club, which he renamed Club Rouge in honor of his sweet wife. He let her run everything there, and it was a place of much profit. He also used his money to purchase many investments such as sporting goods stores and health spas.

Silver the Hedgehog becomes a wealthy economist and stockbroker. Working on the Central City Stock Market, Silver quickly becomes a very successful person. He was a millionaire at age 29. He greatly helped the economy by buying and selling some of the biggest stocks on the market. His trademark was his fresh pack of breath mints that he would have with him everyday. He restored faith in the stock market and even managed to lower the price of gas. When asked about all his success, he said that he owed it all to his trust in his friends, his wife, and people in general.

Rouge the Bat joined the CIA Agency. Possessing great skill and flexibility from her dancing in high school, she easily worked her way up to head agent. Soon, GUN began to notice her skill and offered her a job with a better pay. Rouge could not disagree. She accepted GUN's offer and became an elite agent that worked strictly for the President of the United Federation. Rouge, however, being the kind of girl that she was, needed nightlife. After Knuckles' injury, she persuaded him to purchase a night club. She uses the night club as a huge source of revenue as well as entertainment. Even while doing all this, she still finds time to be a loving mother to her hybrid son, King, and her hybrid daughter, Crystal.

Cream the Rabbit discovers a love for animals and children. She goes off to college and becomes a veterinarian. As an added bonus, she also volunteers her time now at a local daycare.

Tikal the Echidna quickly discovered that college was not for her and dropped out. Still, she was able to support herself until she married Silver at age 27. Then, Silver persuades her to stop working by saying "No wife of mine will ever have to worry about working." Still, she felt pampered and like she served no purpose. To fill this void, she started many organizations to help preserve wildlife and many charities that benefited children. She used her other time to raise her two children, Destiny and Brooke, and teaching a dance class at the community rec center

Shadow the Hedgehog's first child was born two months after graduation. A beautiful female mongoose with pink fur and red highlights named Maria. As time progresses, Mina and Shadow grow distant and apart. Soon, they broke up. At age 30, Shadow actually meets up with an old childhood friend, Breezy the Hedgehog. Soon, the two began to fall in love and are married. They have three children: Shade, Midnight, and Malik. At that time, Shadow enlists with GUN and becomes a Black-Ops agent. Whilst doing all this, he becomes somewhat of a hedgehog Hitch, helping many loveless men in their quest for the ancient art of wooing.

Amy Rose went to culinary school, where she trained with the best chefs on how to make gourmet meals and cook like a pro. For a while, she worked as an understudy to Puck the Wolf. When she and Sonic got married, Sonic bought her her own gourmet restaurant.

Sally became the host of her own show. Her dream was to be the next Tyra Banks, but she only managed to be as popular as Donahue. Her show was called the Sally Acorn Show. It was soon cancelled due to lack of ratings and an audience. She goes upon American Idol only to get kicked off during the first round.

Julie-Su married a pro athlete and now lives the sweet life. She forgot about her past and soon lost contact with all her childhood friends.

Because of Maria, Mina was not able to go to college. She took up a job at a boutique. After 30 long years, she had worked her way up to head buyer for JC Penny's. She and Sally are still close friends.

* * *

**Other facts that I might not have mentioned before about the teens.**

Sally was voted as 'Most Popular' in the Who's Who awards.

Knuckles was voted as 'Most Athletic' in the Who's Who awards.

Shadow and Sally were voted as 'Mr. and Mrs. Station Square' in the Who's Who awards.

Sonic ran varsity track during his last year at Station Square High.

Silver played basketball during both of his years at Station Square High. He had incredible leaping ability.

Even though she had many admirers in high school, Tails was the only interest of Cream ever.

Shadow and Knuckles were arrested with DUI charges after one of Flame's parties.

Amy was voted as Prom Queen in her senior year.

Cream was on the Homecoming court for her sophomore and junior years.

Tails maintained a 4.2 GPA for his entire high school career.

Rouge and Tikal lived with each other for a year after college before Rouge married Knuckles.

Many things happened during the courses of their lifetimes. The mostly became successful people, changing the world as they lived in it. Even when things seemed their darkest, they would always receive comfort in remembering their high school years.

* * *

_Done!_


End file.
